The Life & Times Of: Before & After
by Cool Steve
Summary: [Goof Troop, AGM, AEGM] [Complete] My attempt to fill in all the mysteries the show and two movies entail, while adding some interesting perspectives of my own. If you’re a Goofy & Max fan I think you’ll enjoy it.
1. The Early Years

Let's begin at the beginning – May 25th, 1958…

…is when George G. Goof was born on a rainy, mild spring day in Spoonerville, Ohio to the parents of Benjamin and Matilda Goof. The loving family had a small house close to the downtown area of Spoonerville, and it was quite a different time and town back then. The town was very small, usually consisting of one of everything. One barber, one garage/gas shop, one discount store, one clothing boutique. Benjamin worked in sales and was always on the road, while Matilda was a homemaker, cooking and cleaning and taking care of their newborn, George. They didn't have it all, but they had enough – just enough mind you to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. When George got older, and whenever his father had time, they would pile into his 1956 baby blue Chevrolet Bel-Air convertible and he would take his son fishing with trailer in tow on their annual trip to Lake Destiny in Idaho. These were good times for George, and he treasured these trips with his father dearly. He even went to Yosemite National Park in Northern California with his Granddad Walter on a couple occasions, learning many things about the past Goof generations. George's fondest wish was to have a son someday of his own, that he could take on trips and to spend time with.

As George grew up, it was plain to see something was different about him. In the way he walked and in the way he talked. He'd often get confused over the smallest thing, and even when you think he got it – he still didn't have a clue. It was starting to show that he was quite the klutz. A simple chore to get milk from the corner store would involve him somehow falling through or flying over something. Or getting stuck or tangled to some miscellaneous item. It was quite apparent to everyone who knew George, such as his teachers and classmates – that George Goof was becoming quite a…well, _goof_. His parents were worried and they could not afford private schooling for their only son. And as you all know, kids can be _so_ cruel. George's antics often left him a lone loner, and the taunts and teases of elementary school stomped heavily on his self-esteem. The kids even started to come up with a nickname for him…"Goofy". It suited him well…to well even, and as much as he hated the name it stuck all throughout elementary school and labelled him as a mindless dunce.

o----o

It wasn't until 1972 where Goofy (henceforth he will be referred to as) entered Spoonerville High School that things were looking up for him. High school was a time to shake off those immature days of elementary school and to grow up – socially, personally and academically. A time to prove how cool you were by hanging with the right people and getting involved with the school's clubs and events. But as his luck would have it, Goofy's reputation preceded him as he entered ninth grade and the kids knew all to well of his goofy ways. It hurt him – socially, personally and even academically – mainly because he could never focus on his studies since every five minutes kids would be harassing him. He did, however, befriend one person back then by the name of Peter Percival, better known as Pete to you and me. Goofy saw Pete as a friend when he defended him one time when the kids were making fun of him. Truthfully, Pete just wanted to be the first to get his lunch money, but Goofy didn't see it that way. Unfortunately being the only "friend" he ever had, Goofy latched onto Pete and he soon regretted his decision to "defend" him as his goofy acts often-involved Pete getting injured somehow. One thing that Pete never forgave Goofy for was ruining his chance on his big receiving pass that would have won the big football game between another rivalling high school. Goofy, as bizarre as he was, became a member of the school's cheerleading/pep squad. Pete was running down the field to catch the pass that would win the game. While running down the field, Goofy, among a girl named Peg and the rest of the squad were on the sidelines cheering on doing their routine. The light wind that day veered the football off to the edge of the field almost going out of bonus. Pete caught the ball right where the cheerleaders were stationed. Unfortunately, just as Pete had caught the ball and was beginning to run to score the winning touchdown, Goofy was in the process of doing a spilt and while doing so jumped up and kicked Pete right in the face causing him to fumble the ball and lose the game. The name "Putty Fingers Pete" would haunt him for quite some time, and Pete was furious at Goofy for what he had done. Goofy, being as dense as a brick was not aware of what he had done, and just blissfully went on his way while Pete was left with a burning desire to rip the goof to shreds.

But all hope was not lost. It seemed with the more goofy things Goofy did, he was attracting attention all over the school grounds. Like the one time he somehow got himself stuck atop of the school flag pole when raising the flag, or when the school had to be evacuated when he mixed the wrong chemicals in science lab. It appeared all this commotion attracted one attractive young girl by the name of Penelope Maple (Penny for short), the head editor of the school's newspaper. She was average height with a slender build whose neck length cut dark red hair was sometimes up in a ponytail. She would often interview Goofy over the event that happened, and it looked as if with the more accidents that ensued with Goofy, Penny couldn't help but…kind of grow fond of his goofiness. It made him unique, and even though he was clumsy and downright stupid at times, he was always good-natured and well meaning in everything he attempted to do. He had such a blind enthusiasm about him that Penny seemed to cherish. Penny even loved that laugh – you know, the "Ah-yuck!"; and Goofy could even pull off the afro look he was sporting, though how he grew it like that was a mystery to her. On the other end of this growing mutual connection, Goofy also started to have feelings for Penny. He thought she looked beautiful in her winged-framed glasses and dark blue bell-bottoms. A great girl with personality and drive, bursting with life groovy-ness. Goofy wanted to be with someone like that – he loved everything about her.

It was after the school year, in the summer of '73 by the time the two friends finally got enough courage to start going out. Both sort of asked at the same time, without really saying a word. One would start talking, stumble over their words and the other would finish the other's sentence. They would often take walks in the park, go to the movies, hang out in what "hot-spots" the town had at that point like Ricky's Roller Rink and El-Babba Burgers – home of the "double cheesin, people pleasin ton of fun on a bun burger", a popular place where the teens of that era ate and had a good time. Penny and Goofy often sat around, listing to each other's records and talked about things like people, the latest popular sitcom or hit single. They were in deep…you could say "like" with each other. They both were glad they could have someone to talk to and share things with.

By the time summer was over, Goofy was getting worried with the oncoming aspect of another school year. Moreover, Goofy was unsure if his relationship to this beautiful girl would last – as he was afraid that as the first day of school came, Penny wouldn't want to be seen with Goofy as a couple. But such feelings of concern were soon abolished, as their relationship continued the blossom and grow over their high school careers. Yes, at first people were highly critical of someone actually dating "the goof", but after a while people just got used to it. Even Goofy's frequent acts of goofiness seemed to be commonplace with the school's staff and peers, and after a while the teases stopped and people accepted him for who he was. By the time prom came around, it was plain to see Penny and Goofy were inseparable from one another – and such maturity was rare at a young age like that. True love was slowly developing between the two.

After graduating as the class of '76, Goofy and Penny found themselves at a crossroad in their relationship. Goofy was going to stay in town and go to a local community college to earn a degree, while Penny had to go to another college that was in another state to earn her degree in journalism. On a warm, summers night they took a stroll in the park down by the lake and settled on a park bench. They looked closely into each other's reflective loving gaze. They were truly in love with one another, and wanted to stay together. Goofy pulled a small box out of his polyester pants pocket a presented Penny with a mood promise ring. With this ring, a promise would be kept until both had achieved their goals at college. They passionately kissed and said their "I love you's" as they looked upon the clear starry night sky.

o----o

It wasn't long though until Penny made it into town again, since with her excelling power and smarts she completed her degree in journalism at school a year early, and returned to Spoonerville summer 1978. Goofy, on the other hand had trouble in his studies. He could never focus since his mind was always on Penny, and the next time he would see her loving face again. She surprised Goofy one day after he left his last class. He was getting a drink of water at a fountain when someone tapped him on the shoulder, which resulted in him jumping around and hitting his head on the back of a locker. When Goofy came too, he thought he was dreaming because Penny was crouched over him face to face to see if he was okay. Goofy was ecstatic she was back, and she was more beautiful than ever. College blues aside for Goofy, with Penny in hand it was time to hit the floor at the Spoonerville Disco. Goofy may have been goofy in many ways, but one place where he excelled quite giftedly was in the dancing department. Penny and Goofy loved to bust a move, and both were very good at disco dancing, which was in a full crazed swing at the time. Those funky heavily bassed tunes rumbled through their souls and when that newest track from the latest disco sensation came on and that floor lit up they transformed into two totally different people. They had the looks and had the moves and even won a local dance contest where the grand prize was $500.

It was with great disappointment that Goofy dropped out of college in his third year. It would definitely come back to haunt him with the future of many multi jobs. Even with Penny back in his life, he just could not hack it and always choked on tests. Plus money was getting tighter and he just couldn't afford the rest of his classes at the time. It seemed Goofy's world was slipping out from under him, but there was one thing that he wanted to make sure didn't slip away, and that was Penny. On one faithful summers evening in 1979 they went back to that old park bench as they did before they left for college, except the surprise Goofy had for Penny would be much larger than before. Goofy got down on one knee and would make his declaration of love for the lady in his life. He couldn't afford much, but luckily that $500 prize money they won came in handy. Like deja-vu all over again, he pulled out and opened a small box to uncover a small ring with an even smaller diamond and proposed.

"Penny, will you do me the great honor of becoming my one and only? Penny…will you marry me?" he quietly spoke.

Of course, she was over thrilled with glee and happiness and practically jumped on him and they toppled to the ground. She kissed him hard on the lips saying, "I will."

The only response Goofy could throw out was, "Ah-yuck! Hot-dog, I'm getting married!"

Love was in the air, and there was magic everywhere – they were young and in love…and getting married! Or course, Penny went crazy with what to do – what band/DJ to hire, photographers, caterers, the bride and bride's maid dresses. They didn't have much money, but Penny was going to squeeze each and every…penny, to make her special day the best it could be. As the date approached, Goofy was getting cold feet and wondered what he was going to do. How would they get by and make ends meat? Where would they live? He went in his search for answers to his parents, whom were now in there mid 40's still living in that same small house, now slowly getting towered by growing urban development. Goofy was still living there, and knew he couldn't live there forever. Benjamin & Matilda were thrilled their only child was actually getting married, and they had a little surprise for him. Benjamin gave his son his old small sliver streamline trailer, the same one that was taken on those father/son trips all those years ago, to live in, plus a little funds to get the marriage started on the right track.

Soon the day came in a small ceremony hosted at the local Spoonerville Community Centre's banquet hall. All of Goofy's relatives were there along with Penny's as well. Even Pete came to the ceremony with then girlfriend Peg, who he met at the high school through his football games since she was head cheerleader. They too would be married within the year. As Goofy and Penny exchanged their vows, Goofy couldn't believe he had found a person so special, and as the priest spoke everything seemed to be in slow motion. He looked out among the crowed, looked at his loving soon to be wife, and found himself in awe that he could be so blessed. They both said their "I do's" and kissed the first kiss of man and wife. George and Penelope Goof were married on April 1st, 1980 – April Fool's Day of all days, and it seemed to fit Goofy in the most peculiar way.

With trailer in tow and Goofy barrowing his dad's new little red Jeep, the two newlyweds decided to take their love on the run for their honeymoon, and traveled across America to the one place Goofy knew and loved, Lake Destiny. Not only a good place to fish, but a excellent place for two new lovers to express that new found feeling they have for one another. Parked in a shadowy grove by the lake, with the full moon's rays gleaming onto the waters, two people passionately expressed their love in the willingness of nature, with nothing but the sound of crickets (and a rocking trailer with a squeaky suspension) surrounding the otherwise quiet and embracing atmosphere. They continued to travel the U.S. and most of Canada while taking pictures of all the sights and making a photo album's worth of unforgettable memories. The honeymoon lasted about three months before the two came home to Spoonerville, where they lived in a sheltered, quiet area of a local trailer park. Penny successfully acquired a job at the Spoonerville Spoonful, the town's local paper as a journalist/column writer. Goofy got a job at a small corner store and they both did the best they could. The time came when the two shared their first Christmas together. They sat on the fold out couch in their pyjamas and robes and exchanged their gifts to one another over some hot chocolate. When Penny said she had one more gift left and it was a big surprise, Goofy, excited with anticipation shut his eyes and held his hands out for the gift, which was wrapped in a small plainly colored box. He opened it with great anticipation and what the box revealed were a small pair of baby booties. Goofy just stared at them, and then at his wife, totally dumbfounded.

"I went to the doctor a couple days ago, Goofy…I'm pregnant."

Goofy almost couldn't find his breath. All he could say was a simple-minded, bashful "Gawrsh…I'm gonna be a dad? _I'm gonna be a dad!_"

Goofy jumped up with excitement. They hugged and laughed and Goofy realized his dreams had come true as a young child – he would finally become a father…that kind of father his father and his father's father was. A good father…


	2. Introduction

Well, I wasn't originally going to have intro's before each installment of this fic, but I thought it fit, as I just couldn't ignore the pleasing comments left from reviewers. I didn't want to stick this info at the beginning of a new part, so I thought I'd post a "mini intro" before each part just to expand on the thoughts of reviewers who I thought needed a quick reply.

drnilescrane – You said you live in Australia, right? Maybe _AGM_ had a different release date over there, because I have triple checked all my sources and info for this story, and _AGM_'s premiere was on April 7, 1995. You say you are a filmmaker? What are you making? I can see your gripe in having Goofy's wife named Penny, as it's not the best name in the world to click with "Goof". But there is a good reason why I picked that name, and you'll find out when I post the last part of the story – my "DVD commentary"/liner notes will be posted along with it.

King Cheetah – Glad you stopped in for a read. Knowing how reviews go in the Disney section of fanfiction dot net, I needed to do my own promotion for the story so I didn't get only one or two reviews. This story is too good not to be read!

Silver Kitten – Whew! Glad you got my e-mail about this fic. FYI about me replying to your last e-mail…if you didn't know I have major computer problems right now, so it will be a LONG while before I can get back to you. Thanks for your upbeat attention to the spelling and grammar. I hate the two "to(o)'s", I always get confused when using them. I am indeed very dedicated to this fic, and as I waited between posting to post another part, I was still finding out new info as the series began to air from the beginning again. I'm currently taping all the episodes of _GT_ on 10-hour Maxell tapes – 79 episodes will fit nicely on three tapes, moreover Family Channel has commercial free programming!

Dos – Cool to see I'm your first fav author! Never fear about things not being done, cause I am a big perfectionist and I hate when things are left unfinished. Have piece of mind when you read my stories, as with this one and the previous two I have written, I have always completely finished the story before I go ahead and spilt it up for posting. That way, fans aren't left hanging on for months at a time. It also puts less stress on me that I can just space postings a couple weeks apart. I think you, among the other readers, will be very pleased with the "missing spots" I filled, because I covered anything and everything I could think of – and then some :)


	3. The Growing Years

Maximilian George Goof was born on September 7th, 1981 at Spoonerville General Hospital on a chilly but otherwise clear night at 10:06pm. He was a beautiful baby boy that in looks mostly took after Goofy. Goofy was in tears as he held his newborn son in his arms – this was one of the happiest days of his life. He looked at his wife, and even though she was tired and slightly frazzled from the birth, her beauty still shone though. She too was so overjoyed with this new bundle of joy, and couldn't wait to get him home. After a couple days in the hospital, it was time to take little Maxie home. They placed him into his new cradle and his mother gave him a brown stuffed bear as a token of their love for him. Upon realizing what home actually was, they knew they would need a bigger place for a bigger family and a fifteen-year-old trailer wasn't going to cut it. So they pinched and saved and finally in the spring of '82 Penny and Goofy moved into a small apartment at the Latchkey Garden Apartments complex. Enough money was left for them to buy their first car, a slightly used 1980 black on caramel Chevrolet Chevette. Goofy returned the trailer to his parents, and his father surprisingly gave him that little red Jeep as a present for their new life. He was very proud of Goofy, and he told him so. Goofy was pleased he could make his father proud, and he could only hope one day he could make his son pound of him.

And so parenthood began for the Goof family. The infant years of 3am wake ups, feedings and stinky diapers to the terrible two's and three's where Max became a wild child that was so pepped full of energy he never wanted to go to bed. Goofy remained as the stay at home figure where he did the cleaning and cooking while Penny worked long and hard over at the Spoonful dishing out the latest news and info to the residence of the town – a town that wasn't so small anymore. Goofy would often take walks around town with Max with stroller in hand, taking in all the change and development of the times. Spoonerville had evolved from that small little town to a larger, busier metropolis. It was no longer a place with small individually owned stores, but overthrown with malls, department stores and plazas containing popular chain stores in each. High-rises and big corporate businesses made the downtown area full and robust while more and more new family housing neighborhoods were sprawling creating a huge metropolitan suburban utopia. These were different times from Goofy's childhood days of Woodstock, The Beatles, the first moon landing, Nixon and disco. It was now the MTV generation, Michael Jackson, the first home computers, The Cosby Show and new wave. From black and white TV's and stickball in the street to video games and VCR's, they were all in the middle of this ever growing and expanding world.

The young family continued to prosper in their small but perfect apartment. Goofy would take care and raise his ever-growing son, while Penny had the standard 9-5 job bringing home the bacon. She would come home after an extensive day of work, usually putting in overtime hours and arriving home late, usually when Max was already in bed. She felt she was missing him grow up, but she knew Goofy was there for him. Yep, they were doing it – they were the young family making the bills and taking care and raising their young boy. The picture of a happy family, these were good times. And with Penny's hard work and heavy hitting articles at the newspaper, there was room for promotional growth to become co-anchor for the local KBOB Spoonerville Action Flash 6 news team. The times were just getting better and it seemed nothing was going to get in their way. But the good times would unfortunately not last, and a horrible tragedy would strike the Goof family that would alter it forever…

On a snowy winter's night on December 5th, 1987 while driving home after a strenuous day at the office, Penny lost control of her car on the I-74 highway. The weather conditions were horrible that night as she drove home at 10pm – freezing cold temperatures with blowing snow that caused thick whiteouts from time to time. The highway was dark and not lit too well. The car had hit a patch of ice under the road's snowy surface, and as much as she tried to keep her lightweight Chevette under control, attempts were unsuccessful and it skid off the road, rolling twice and landing on its roof in a snow covered ditch. Barley alive and badly hurt, Penny searched for her purse while her vision blurred in and out of focus. She pulled out a picture – it was of her husband and her darling toddler. A warm tear could be felt slowly sliding down her cheek as she held the picture with all the strength she could muster. She knew this was going to be it, and in a split second her life – that life of love with her one and only man and their now young son – flashed before her teary eyes.

"I love you two with all my heart…always and forever you'll be with me." she quietly spoke as the passed out.

The wind and snow shrieked and howled…an angel had received its wings.

Her totalled automobile was not discovered until the wee hours of the morning as the storm passed, and by then it was too late. Penny had succumbed to her injures of heavy neck and head trauma and by the time paramedics arrived Penny had died. The police reports stated that her death was a combination of her injuries and the unbearably freezing cold wind chill that contributed to her passing. Goofy was up most the night, pacing back and forth in their small apartment, wondering, hoping and praying his wife of over seven years was okay. He eventually fell asleep on the couch with the TV on waiting by the phone – and it was that very sound of it ringing at around a quarter to six in the morning that awoke him out of his troubled slumber. He felt something wasn't right, he could feel it. He reluctantly picked up the phone, saying to himself, "Please be Penny." He quickly came out of his groggy tired presence…it was the police.

Goofy felt his heart disintegrate as the police described what had happened. He could barley hold the receiver since he suddenly could not stop shivering and shaking. He couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't blink. His heart was racing and his eyes welded with fluid as he found out the only woman who ever loved him was no longer alive. He couldn't hold it in – Goofy broke down and howled as the receiver fell from his trembling hand and on to the floor. He sat on the couch, his hands buried in his face, crying – trying to make sense of what happened. Why it happened. All those "what it's" and "if only's" flooded into his mind. Why didn't he pick her up? If only she had stayed at a nearby motel. She was only 29! How could it all end like this? A decade before they were dancing to the Bee Gees and madly in love…now everything seemed empty and void. All the commotion had awakened a little 6-year-old Max from his sleep and he came walking over to his father holding that ol' stuffed teddy bear his mother gave him the day they brought him home, rubbing his eyes.

"Daddy, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Goofy froze…above all his thoughts about what had just happened, he suddenly remembered…

Max…

What was he going to say? What was he going to do? He saw his precious, innocent young son staring at him with concerning eyes and wanted to break down all over again. But he knew he couldn't, and he had to be strong…for him…for both of them.

"Oh…I was, uh…cutting onions. Yeah, I was cutting up onions for dinner tonight, Maxie."

"But where's mom? She always helps you with dinner when she's home. Did she go out to the store?"

Again, Goofy was on the verge on tears, "No, no…Maxie." He picked Max up and placed him on his knee, "Um, you see, mommy had to go on an important business trip, and she had to go on a plane to a far away place to do some work." It's the best excuse he could come up with at the time.

"When is she gonna be back?" the inquisitive young mind asked.

"Not for a while Maxie…not for awhile."

o----o

As birthdays, celebrations, and the years started to pass, Goofy's excuses about his deceased wife were wearing thin against Max's growing intelligence. Every time Max would ask when she was coming home, Goofy would just come up with another excuse, or try to change the subject or brush off the question all together. He didn't know how to tell his growing son that his mother wasn't going to be there for him. To bandage his scraped knees…to make him cookies…to hug him when he had a bad dream…to be there as he blossomed into a young youth.

Times had become especially hard of the Goof family now since Penny had passed. Since she was the main bread-bringer in the household, Goofy tried desperately to get a job to keep his and Max's lives afloat. Goofy's parents, who were also horribly shaken by the tragic events, gave as much as they could in love and support. Sadly, Goofy was slowly sinking into bills and debts, and the calls from the creditors were hounding and stressing. It was with great reluctance and sadness after close to a decade of living in a place where he shared his love with his one and only that he had to move. It was October 1990 – and Goofy and a now 9-year-old Max were packing up there belongings and getting ready to move into Goofy's old trailer. Goofy was in another room wrapping and packaging some items while Max was in his father's room, rummaging around in his closet. He stumbled upon a small white shoebox and curiosity had the best of him, and he decided to open it. In the box were miscellaneous items of his mother, Penny. Mostly love mementos such as cards and notes and such, old photos of times long past, her mood and wedding ring. But that wasn't all. He also found papercliped articles of some newspaper clippings, and as his eyes scanned the headlines he quickly realized where his mother's so called "business trip" had taken her. And like when Goofy first heard the news, Max too had a rushing of panic and perplexed emotions running through his brain.

Goofy was in the process of wrapping a vase in some bubble wrap as he walked by his bedroom door and saw Max squatted in front of the box at the foot of the closet. He dropped the vase and it slammed to pieces on the ground. Max whipped his head around, tears rolling down his cheeks, breathing heavily.

"Oh…Max." Goofy said as he quickly came over to comfort his son. He hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead, "I never wanted you to find out like this. I'm _so_ sorry." he said as he ran his hand through Max's hair.

Max tried to speak through his sniffs and sobs, "I can't believe it, after all this time…she's…gone."

"I know Max, I know. But you know one thing – she loved you dearly, with all her heart." he said as he looked Max square in the face.

"I miss her…" He quickly latched tightly onto his father again.

There in a bright sun filled bedroom, father and son sat by a box of memories, the room feeling cold and desolate as that horrible snowy night where a life was lost.

"It gonna be okay Maxie…it's gonna be okay."

o----o

Again…time ticked on, and the troop of Goof's were now living in Goofy's small trailer. It wasn't much, but it was home. A home that shared fond memories, back in the day when Goofy and Penny were in newlywed bliss feeling like nothing in the world could ever touch them. It was a blessing, and yet a curse to live in such a place, and there wasn't a day gone by in that trailer where something in it reminded him of Penny.

Money was tight and times were tough, but father and son had each other to get themselves through the times, good or bad. Goofy worked numerous jobs and tried to save money so Max could have a better life. He did have a college fund set up for him when he was born, and Goofy and Penny put in as much money as they could. As a last resort that money…most of it had to be used to survive now that Penny was gone, and Goofy hated himself for it – because he didn't want his son to have a life like this. His childhood wasn't going they way Goofy had planned. Losing his mother was enough, but now Max had to deal with moving from town to town, having no real friends and planting no stable roots. They were so poor Goofy had no choice but to home school Max to the best of his ability.

Goofy enrolled himself into one of those "earn a degree at home" courses, which he did on the side as he worked the odd job here and there. That one faithful ray of light shone though in the summer of '92 where Goofy finally got his papers in the mail. He successfully completed his advanced beginners course and was awarded in the degree of W,W,D. – Widget Wafler Deluxe. Overjoyed with the fact that he could move back to his old hometown of Spoonerville and take the job there; as soon as they could they sped off from the current trailer park they had been living in out in a small rural town, and with Goofy's jeep and trailer in tow made their way to town. (This is where, as all you _Goof Troop_ fans know, the series began to peek into the lives of our klutzy gang.) Goofy called up his long-time "chum" and former schoolmate Pete saying that he was coming back to town – and Pete would soon find out his life would change forever. He was now married to Peg with two kids, 11-year-old P.J. and 5-year-old Pistol. His life was going pretty well until that unfaithful day Goofy came back to town. As luck would have it for Goofy, but as awful fate for Pete, Peg was a local real estate agent and as even more irony would have it, a house was for sale right beside theirs. Of course, Pete tried with all his might to sabotage the house for his own greedy purposes. In the end, Goofy moved in at 357 Main Street and the wacky stories we all know and love about this suburban-lifestyle sitcom-family began.

Throughout the years that followed, the two families had many adventures together. Many of them mostly inspired by Pete's greed for money, wealth and power. Goofy would somehow get involved, mainly as a pawn in Pete's game and mess up his plans. Then with the ever "loving persuasion" of Pete's wife Peg shouting at him to adjust whatever damage he did, his plans ended washed up and he usually went insane, all the while our unencumbered hero Goofy revealed many facets of his personality while blissfully enduring Pete's personal grudge against him. During this time, Max was growing up into an adorable and mischievous scratchy voiced spiky haired pre-teen youngster who became best friends with Pete's first born, P.J.. They themselves had a handful of young, spirited elementary school adventures. Goofy was glad he could give his son a better life, but bills still loomed and many times they barely made it by. That degree of his wasn't really getting him that far, and for a while Goofy worked numerous jobs to keep food on the table. He worked as the town's safety inspector, owned his own pizza shop, worked as a janitor for NASA and was even mayor of Spoonerville for a brief period of time.

Pete also did not help the situation because he always tried to con money out of simple-minded Goofy. Luckily, Max – not in all ways like his father took after his mother in one aspect and was quite the sharp scamp, and he caught on to a lot of things faster than his old man. The two did their best, but at one time it seemed their best wasn't good enough and their way of life was threatened when Miss. Pennypacker, the school's councillor, stated that Max should live somewhere else until Goofy could get his act together. Eventually he did, and even had dinner with Miss. Pennypacker along side with Max. Goofy and Miss. Pennypacker did have an interest in each other, but things didn't click as they could have. Mainly because it seemed that even five years after her death, Goofy was still not over Penny and still found it too soon to be seeing anyone knew. It was upon more realization that this was the first time in five years that he even thought about that part of his life – love and companionship. Goofy still missed Penny, with all his heart and every part of his soul. He often fell into a depression of thinking that no one could ever replace her. That no one would accept him and his goofy ways with such loving eyes as she did. He kept thinking what kind of life they _could_ have had. Yes, Goofy fell down sometimes – but it was during those times that Max helped him through it, and always re-assured things were going to be all right…much as Goofy did with Max years before the day he found out his mother had died.

o----o

Just as things seemed to be going all right for the two of them, things were changing and falling apart all over again. While going up to a cottage in Aspen, Colorado for Christmas in '93, Goofy's Jeep – the one that is father gave him over a decade ago, was lost in a bizarre accident involving Goofy's obsession for making the perfect Christmas for Max. Sparks flew from the badly wired lights and oversized decorations Goofy had put up and the car caught fire, burning to nothing in mere seconds. Luckily, Goofy had saved one of Max's presents but a lot of valuable things were lost. Coincidently, Pete and his family had a cottage at a ski lodge nearby and Peg happily accepted them while Pete humbly rejected them, since he blamed Goofy for his own Christmas being ruined and the holiday for both families was spent in a cold and damp bear cave due to Goofy being unaware of his antics. It would definitely be a Christmas to forget. After the accident, Goofy went in search for another set of wheels – a cheap set, because he could barley afford anything. That brought him to Honest Pete's Used Cars, and as luck would have it Pete _did_ have a car Goofy could afford – a bright yellow 1977 AMC Pacer. Of course, Pete ripped Goofy off left and right with the small amount of money he did have, and in readily fashion Peg blasted Pete for doing such a thing to the Goof's and made him give half of the money back.

As The Byrds stated in an old 60's tune, "_To everything - turn, turn, turn, there is a season - turn, turn, turn…_" In 1994 Peg and Pete divorced after close to 15 years of marriage. Whatever spark that first ignited their flaming relationship had now flickered out sometime over the years. Peg couldn't stand Pete anymore. She was sick and tired of yelling her head off trying to keep him in line, and she didn't feel appreciated and loved as she once was. All she was in Pete's eyes was the lady that cleaned up after him and made his dinner. Peg didn't even find him physically attractive anymore, as he really let himself go since being in muscular shape as Spoonerville High's star player on the football team where his long, full head of hair and big sculpted body first attracted her to him. Pete was now a fat selfish slob with a business that was going nowhere fast. She could not stand being chained down that fat tub o'-lard for the rest of her days. Pete lost the car lot in the divorce and the house was sold. Pistol went to live with Peg in a small townhouse across town while P.J., for some reason or another decided to say with his dad. Mostly likely Pete guilt-rode his son into saying with him so he could replace Peg and keep P.J. "under his thumb" so to speak. It was a sad day when P.J. had to move, because him and Max were best buds. Yeah, they could still see each other at school and whatnot, but it wouldn't be the same.

It wouldn't be long before money problems would force Goofy to now sell the house he just moved into three years before. The mortgage payments were just too expensive on a house that size, plus with everything that had gone on within it during those years, combined with its age, it was in a stressing state of disrepair. And trying to find work with his degree didn't bring in enough money to live securely. So Goofy found himself in-between jobs yet again and felt everything was so instable once more. He hated he couldn't plant firm roots for him and Max. And Max was growing up, into a young teenager that would soon be headed off to high school. Max was also dealing with the onslaught of puberty and with growing up in the shadow of his goofy father; he suddenly found himself more embarrassed than ever to be seen in public with him. He was smack-dab in the middle of awkward teen-hood. It was that change from a child liking to spend time with their parents to that rebellious teen phase where the teenager wants to be left alone to progress through his or her personal experiences of growing up by themselves in his or her own life. Max's greatest paranoiac fear was he would eventually become exactly like his goofy father. It's hard to be cool when your father is Goofy – the model of a very modern, major un-cool guy. Goofy was always the kind of guy that lived to make people laugh, even if the laughs were mostly against him and not with him. That's who Goofy _is_. Max, however, didn't want that kind of life. This difference between them started to drive them apart, and Goofy found himself floating farther and farther away from his son. He wanted to be a part of his life but at the same time hesitated, because he knew what Max was starting to think of him now, being such a goof and all. He knew that teenagers liked to be left alone sometimes, and he himself went through his own teen uprising when he grew up as well. So Goofy kept somewhat of a distance away from Max…just far away enough to give him room to grow, while close enough to still be there for him and to love him. But it would be the events of one forthcoming summer a school year later that would change their whole father/son relationship forever.

o----o

By fall 1995, things had changed and were continuing to change at a very rapid rate. Goofy and Max had packed up from their old house on Main with yellow Pacer in hand and moved to a smaller, nicer looking house in another part of the now vast middle-class neighbourhood culture. All the suburban development over the years prompted the building of a new high school since Spoonerville High was now overly cramped with kids and the aging structure couldn't adapt to the technology of the go-go 80's. Hayes High School was built over a couple years in the late 80's and opened fall 1990 and was only a quick hop, skip and a jump from Goofy's new place. Since Pete had lost his used car business in the divorce, he was looking to start off another business of his own. But he couldn't do it on his own, and needed someone – a sucker to invest in his idea. A person that would be easy to keep under his thumb, a person that he could pay minimum wage…a person like Goofy. They got together and collaborated an idea of a photo business, and eventually both of them maintained a small photo studio in a local department store specializing in baby photography. It wasn't much, but it did bring in the green quite well.

Things definitely seemed to be on the up and up. New house, "new" car, new business, and in the case of Max – a new life because this was his freshman year in high school. Luckily P.J. and Pete had also moved close by to the school so they could still hang out. Keeping friends in that transition of elementary to high school is a quite a task, but its that exciting challenge of making new friends that made high school a refreshing prospective on average school life. It was during this time Max met a guy by the name of Robert Zimuruski, better known as Bobby, who had a strange obsession over 'Cheddar Whizzy' aerosol cheese. Both of them had general interests in the same music and hobbies and they, along with P.J. became the best trio of friends, rockin' in their own dorky way. They weren't the most popular or talked about kids, but they weren't total nerds either. They were sort of stuck in the middle of the colorful social fabric that was high school.

It was also during this time that Max had started to really notice the opposite sex. Girls were no longer frowned upon as yucky and the hosts for horrible "cootie" germs, but as the objectives of puppy loves and mushy crushes. This is where Roxanne came into the picture. She was in some of Max's classes and he couldn't help but notice her. She was a sweet and likeable gal, beautiful and captivating with her auburn hair and dark alluring eyes, perfecting the package in her cuffed denim shorts and turquoise colored t-shirt. But of course, Max was far too shy and bashful to even think of asking her out. He didn't think she noticed him at all…he was nothing but another guy among hundreds in the school, and Max desperately wanted to stand out from the average crowd.

On the last day of school, Max along with P.J. and Bobby plotted a harebrained scheme to crash the principal's year-end speech with a stage show in which Max dressed up and danced to a current hit by major pop star idol Powerline. By school year's end Max had developed a _major_ crush on Roxanne but didn't know how to go around asking her out…today was going to be the day that all changed. It started off good with Max's lip-syncing the lyrics and mimicking Powerline's moves to a tee – and it was plain to see that Max had inherited his awesome ability to dance from his father. Blaring music, big screens and a smoke show tore the student body to break into a riotous frenzy of partying teens going wild in the auditorium. When it looked as if they were just about to pull it off, technical difficulties came into play and Max almost knocked down Principle Mazur…who was not amused by Max and company's little show. While waiting outside his office to await punishment, Roxanne and her friend Stacey noticed a downtrodden Max sitting with his face buried into his hands. Pushed by her extroverted friend, Roxanne decided to make the first move in getting to know Max and tapped him on the shoulder, resulting in both of them jumping back in surprise and letting Roxanne's papers and books fall to the floor. It was in the process of picking up her items that Max finally got the guts to ask the girl he admired from afar out for a sorta-kinda-date during their summer holidays at Stacey's end of school party where they would see Powerline's concert live in L.A. on pay-per-view. All seemed to be going well for Max and he was on cloud nine as he skateboarded home. He had sure gotten Roxanne's attention now…but it would all go to pot in a matter of minutes as Goofy would deliver devastating news.

Goofy's shocking phone call from the principle that day detailing Max's escapade threw him into a vortex of bewilderment. How could he have let this happen? In his eyes Max was his little boy who sure; could be a little grumpy at times, but was still a good apple. Things were going so good for the first time in a long while, and then to find out his son was at the centre of a huge massacre at school…well, he was disappointed – in himself. He felt that it was his entire fault for giving Max that little inch of room to grow. He felt he had made some parenting mistake and let things slip too far and that he had lost control of his son. That's when Goofy conjured up the idea to reforge the bond he once had with his son. He would take Max on a fishing trip to good ol' Lake Destiny with him, something he always loved to do with his father and he hoped Max would be excited about it…boy, was he wrong. Goofy's sudden onslaught to decide to take his son on a long father/son fishing trip did not sit well with Max at all. He had his own life and own issues to deal with and this trip wasn't going to sit well with his upcoming date with Roxanne. But Goofy, not being the sharpest tack in the box overlooked Max's dilemmas and was determined to save his son from the "electric chair". Goofy eventually trapped a protesting Max into the car and they started the journey, but not before stopping off at Roxanne's to break the news about the date. Max started to tell her what was going on, but at the last minute at seeing her reaction to the bad news, changed the story that he was going across the county to go to the Powerline concert in L.A. – not only that, but he'd be up on stage with him too. People do stupid things when they're in love and Max was positively the spokesperson for that fact. How on Earth was he going to pull this off?

Like clockwork the road trip got underway. Of course, Max acted like any other teenager would in his situation – and this one was a doozie. He sulked and snarled with a temperas attitude, refusing to play along with any of Goofy's adorable attempts at getting him in the mood. All Max's mind was focused on was the girl he had left behind, and he was so angry with his father for ripping them apart and ruining his summer. He kept thinking and daydreaming about what summer Roxanne and him _could_ have had together. He wasn't reacting well to Goofy's attempt to bond with him and it looked like it was the beginning of the road trip from hell. He was embarrassed to death by his super un-cool father at Lester's Possum Park and even tried to hitchhike back to reality to get away from him. It was with great luck that their travel paths crossed with Pete and P.J.'s who where on a father/son trip of their own – but the happiness would not last long as while fishing with Max, Goofy somehow attracted the attention of the fabled Bigfoot. Pete and Peej packed up their RV and took off in a flash, while Goofy and Max jumped into their car attempting to make a run for it, but unfortunately the keys for the car had been left outside where the monster crept, so it looked like they were spending the night in the Pacer. It was during this time that Max discovered the map in the glove box late at night while his father slept. There it was… through the dim light of the glove box, the ultimate route on the highway to hell. Thoughts raced through his brain about what to do. One little change in direction could make all his dreams come true, but on the other hand could he pull it off with his dad at the wheel? His feelings for Roxanne got the better of him and he quickly changed the route from Idaho to L.A.. It was all in the hands of fate what would happen next.

After the Bigfoot incident our duo started to put more road behind them. It was then that Goofy handed over the duties of navigating to Max. Now Max had all the power to make this the road trip of his dreams…but as they say with great power comes great responsibility. Throughout the trip, a number of seemingly random events happened from traveling state-to-state forcing them to start bridging that wide gap between father and son. After stopping off at the Neptune Inn to rest, Pete and P.J. encountered the Goof's again by weird coincidence. It was to Pete's surprise that he overheard Max and P.J. talking about Max's changing of the map route. It was with great "agony" that Pete told Goofy what his son was doing. Goofy didn't believe him, and sulked off to the car to think. By chance the map plopped out of that loosely locked glove box and Goofy discovered the awful truth about what his son, the one he thought so highly of, had done.

The day of reckoning finally came when their junction came up in that road ahead. Quite a tense moment to say the least, Max went with his plan to go to the concert in L.A.. Goofy was not amused, and for the first time since anyone knows he lost is temper, and furiously pulled the car to the side of the road to cool down. He was so frustrated, at wits end. He kept thinking where it all went wrong while staring off into the landscape. He promptly thought about Penny – who had been deceased close to a decade now, and pondered how things would have been different if she was still alive. Sadly these thoughts would be interrupted as the car started rolling down the hill they were parked on! Both of them frantically ran after the rolling auto blaming each other in the process for not setting the parking brake. This was where the tension between the two finally erupted into a wild and dangerous ride over cliffs and boulders, ending up in a river. After catching their breath, they worked the situation out while sitting atop the floating car, and realized how Max's anger was balanced by Goofy's desperation to re-connect with him. The fact they could see both views of walking in each other's shoes so clearly was a big step that they made some progress in their relationship.

But the trip wasn't over yet – there was still the fact that Max had a concert to get to, and just as he was going to back out of the whole crazy fiasco, Goofy reassured him they would get into that show. Eventually, the drenched and soaking wet Pacer washed up along side the river. It was towed out of the river and after some cleaning up both of them made it to L.A.. They got into the concert by hiding in instrument cases to get through security, and got on stage in front of thousands upon thousands of fans. As predicted, Roxanne saw Max at Stacey's party on her big-screen TV. While partying around, it seemed Stacey started to notice Bobby and vice-versa. Stacey was attracted to Bobby's wild mohawk hair and party animal style, while Bobby fancied her braces and fashionable ways. Things were unquestionably brewing between the two of them.

Eventually, Max and Goofy finally returned to town in the now totalled Pacer – quite a car to last all that abuse till the very end. They stopped at Roxanne's house so Max could explain himself. While Goofy sat in his car and watched the youngsters talk out their problems, he could not believe how blind with confusion and selfish he had been. If only he had listened to Max, really _listened_ about the party and Roxanne, he would have realized that Max was going through the exact same thing he went through twenty years before – meeting a girl in their freshman year of high school. He watched the both of them; saw Max kiss Roxanne and the young image of himself and Penny at their age popped into his mind. If he had known about this, there was no way he would have stood between the two of them, because Goofy's first priority in life was to always make his son happy. Max reluctantly told Roxanne the truth about what happened. He didn't need to lie to get her affections, because they were already his, he just never saw it. It did however make one wild vacation…something that would always be talked about for years to come.

o----o

The rest of the summer would definitely not go to waste. Max and Roxanne, many times along with Bobby and Stacey would hang out at all the town's popular teen places. Surprisingly Ricky's Roller Rink and El-Babba Burgers stood the test of time and were still open and considered hip to the ever-changing generations of kids. The mall was a good place to spend time with friends along with the skate park and local arcade. Max and Roxanne and Bobby and Stacey continued to date throughout high school. Eventually the group of friends split up more often so they could be alone on their ever-growing amount of solo dates. Max and Roxanne would often go to the movies and such; hold hands on the beach. By the beginning of their senior year of high school they had been going steady for quite some time, and they didn't plan on breaking up, but the pressure of teen-hood was much different then it was when Goofy had been growing up, and this would prove true as times changed once again.

Life gives us highs and lows – it's a roller coaster ride of emotions, and poor Goofy was in for the ride of his life as it seemed the awful events were going to be never-ending. First, he turned the big 4-0 and was getting to that point in his life where he kept regrettably looking back on the past and thinking about why he was where he was today. He was sort of going through an early mid-life crisis. Soon after, the photo shop between Pete and Goofy dissolved and Pete went to fulfill his own endeavours. Goofy on the other hand was again left with facing the unemployment line, and while in his depressing state one day he attempted to make himself a grilled cheese sandwich – which would prove as a disastrous task. As Goofy moped around while the sandwich was on the stove burner, he slopped himself on the couch and fell asleep, totally forgetting about the sandwich. He awoke moments later to the smell of smoke filling the kitchen. Goofy tried to put the fire out but ended up running next door to use the neighbors phone to dial 911. Max, who had come home from school, witnessed his house being doused with water by the Spoonerville Fire Department. He immediately seeked his dad who was sitting outside by the ambulance that was on the scene. Goofy could not believe how stupid he was, he really messed up this time. The damages to the house were pretty bad – it gutted the kitchen and caused thousands of dollars of damage to other parts of the house. Luckily the fire didn't spread too far so many personal items were salvaged. But unfortunately the damage was too extensive to fix at the time, and the insurance company decided to move the two to a beautiful yellow house in another part of the neighborhood.

But that wasn't even the beginning of the bad news for Goofy. While just settling into their new house, Goofy received a phone call from his mother. Matilda was panic-stricken and crying as she tried to tell Goofy what had happened. It turned out his father Benjamin, only a couple days away from his 64th birthday had a heart attack while going out for coffee with some of his old buddies at the mall. Paramedics had tried to save him but he died on the way to the hospital. Goofy was devastated. His father who was his best friend during his formative years as a young boy, the person that loved him with all his heart was…dead. It hit him like a ton of bricks, but Max was there to comfort him and help him through it. The funeral service was held on a beautiful spring day, and Benjamin was laid to rest not far from the gravestone of Goofy's former life partner, Penny. Goofy had always stopped by her grave once in a while, but he could not believe it had been twelve years since she passed on. It felt like an eternity since Goofy felt her soft touch, and all this mourning over his father and grieving over his lover wasn't doing Goofy any good. Matilda decided to finally sell their old home, which was now out of place in the big city it was now encased in. She said her and Ben had planned to move to Florida after his birthday, but sadly she was now going alone. On the day she was planning to move, she invited Goofy over for one last look at the house. She had a surprise for him as they went to the garage. There sitting amongst dusty boxes and oily rags was that old baby blue 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air convertible that his father had gotten for his 21st birthday. Goofy remembered that car, but thought his father had gotten rid of it a long time ago. His father left it to him in the will, which was unhappily perfect timing as Goofy needed a car more than ever since the Pacer was gone. Even though it was over fifty years old, it would serve as Goofy's main purpose of transportation until he could afford something a bit more modern so he could keep it as a classic relic. Ultimately, Goofy found a factory job at Beekins Toy Company as a line production worker assembling toys. It was demanding shift work, but it brought in the cash well.

By the time prom came around at Hayes High School, one young couple would still be together. Max and Roxanne went to their prom together and had a great time. Alas, the relationship between Bobby and Stacey fizzled out by high school's end. The differences were just too great and they were growing with age and maturity. Stacey was a major valley girl, with tendencies to say "like totally" a lot. She was extremely trendy with up-to-date clothes and always did things on the spur of the moment. She was a nice girl, but her incessant talking could get slightly annoying at times. Bobby on the other hand was a more relaxed laid back guy, a lazy type dude that just let things flow. He was a nice guy, but far too spaced out for Stacey's taste. So they decided to end it before it was too late and remain friends. By the time Max and Roxanne graduated as class of '99, they were still dating, and both truly liked each other, but something was missing and Max couldn't put his finger on it. So he went to his father in search for answers, and they sat down one day and hammered the subject out. He explained to him the current situation him and Roxy were facing now that high school was coming to a close.

"You know, Max, your mother and I were very lucky." he said as he paced around the living room, picking up a photo of them as a family when Max was a baby. "We were each others firsts and shared a lot of firsts like first kiss, first date, first marriage and first…well, you know…" he said as he winked, Max understood what he was referring too, "…and that's a scarce rarity among your generation today I'm sorry to say, to start building a long-term relationship in the high school years."

"Well, what are you trying to say dad?" Max questioned perplexedly.

"Well, the average high school relationship only lasts about two weeks, Max. You and Roxanne have beaten those odds so far." he said as he stared out the window. "But it's that transition leaving the social pressures of high school to becoming an adult that really proves if you two should be together. It was fate that your mother and I stuck it out throughout the socialisms of high school and that period of being away from each other during college. Love was developing between us, and we profoundly knew and cared for one another." He turned to Max, "You two are still very young, you're only 18, and even though you may hate to admit it, maybe she isn't the one." Goofy walked and sat down on the couch beside Max. "Do you love her?"

The question caught Max a little of guard, "Wha?"

"Do you love her, Maxie?"

"Well…I like her…a lot. I like being with her, and she likes me…"

"But is it love?"

"I…don't know."

Goofy put his hand on his son's shoulder, "I think you two need time to sort out your feelings. Give it time Max, and you'll see whether or not it was meant to be."

He didn't know how, but his father for what seemed to be the first time ever made perfect sense. During that summer Max and Roxanne walked around the closed high school and sat on the football field bleachers. It was that very place four years before that they first spoke with one another…sort of. Rather Max ran away like a spazzed coward after coming so close in contact with the pretty girl that he had affections for. They talked about the current state their relationship was in. Roxanne said herself she knew this was coming, everything had changed so much – college was just around the corner. They were both planning on going to the same State college, but with the way their classes were going to fall, it didn't look as if they could ever have time to meet up with one another. It was with great angst and sorrow that they had to put their relationship on hold. They weren't breaking up – their feelings for each other were still strong and they wanted to be with each other, but just didn't know how to get around this development in their young lives. They kissed a long, passionate kiss and walked each other to her place. Afterwards, Max took a long stroll around the town, and reminisced about times past with him and Roxanne along with Bobby and Stacey. He felt like an era had passed between those times, but he didn't let these thoughts get him down. After all, college was on its way. Such a fresher start then high school ever was. A chance to break free from everything and start anew. Yep, it was a good time to be alive.


	4. Introduction

I hope everyone has enjoyed the story thus far. I was a little disappointed with the smaller amount of reviews for the second part of the story, but hopefully this last part will usher in more readers.

King Cheetah – I actually did a lot of paragraph breaking up before I uploaded the story, so it's funny you should mention that.

Edit Death – After reading your comment, I can see your point of how my fic is more of a summary of plot more than a story. _AGM_ is truly an under-cherished treasure among animated movies, along with its sequel and the _Goof Troop _television series – but dedicated fans like us keep the fandom alive. You say you want me to add more detail? I've pretty much detailed this fic to death from my point of view. Yes, I maybe should have included more dialogued driven scenes, but we can save stories like those for other writers out there :)

Dos – Glad you liked it, and I hope you find this next part pleasing as well.

Auburn Red – Is my story that heartwarming it can produce tears? Wow, I never thought I'd reach that level of emotion in readers. Yes, Goofy's life is full of many hard times, but that's how life is, and it's the bad times that make us appreciate the happy times even more. It's sounds cheesy as a wheel of cheddar, but its true.

I hope everyone likes the last part of my story, and make sure to check out the commentary on this fic, along with the makeshift soundtrack. Thanks to everyone for your encouragement – I'm delighted I could write such a first-rate fanfiction.


	5. The Later Years

August 1999 would mark college time for our three amigos. Max couldn't be happier, it was the first real taste of freedom from years of living with his father. Moreover, Max was looking forward to the college X Games and taking away the title from the five time winning Gammas. While Max was on this all time high, Goofy was at an awful low. Here he was, almost verging on middle age and now he was going to be left all alone as his son went off to start a new chapter of his life at college. On the night before leaving when Goofy was helping Max pack, Goofy tried desperately to get Max to take that ol' stuffed bear to college with him, the one his mother gave him all those years ago. He wanted him to take it to remember him and his mother by. But Max was far to pre-occupied with wanting to be grown up that he left the stuffed animal behind. The next day the kids were off in Bobby's old Volkswagen van. Max happily waved his father goodbye while Goofy waved as well, totally crushed at the aspect of living in his house and no longer hearing the voice of his beloved little Maxie. He slugged up the stairs and entered his room, that seemed larger than before now that it was stripped of all his personal belongings. He tucked away an old sock he found on the floor and neatly put it in his dresser drawer. He looked up at himself in the dresser's mirror, and wondered how he got so old. Goofy could see the onslaught of age in his appearance, and those lines on his face were slowly starting to form and creased his complexion. It was then he noticed that Max left his bear behind on his bed. Goofy sat on Max's old bed, and hugged that bear his mother gave him, and felt like the loneliest goof in the world.

Max on the other hand was having the time of his life at college. He, along with Bobby and P.J. skateboarded in and made quite the impression on the campus grounds, enough attention to attract the popular Gammas who thought there was an opening on their team for Max. They followed Max and company to the Bean Scene, which was quite the mellow hangout for the school's more poetic, rhythmic students. This was where a well-known performer took the stage in the single lit spotlight to perform her writings. Many did not know her by name, but for those who knew her well she went by the name of Bridgett. She captivated P.J. in the way she spoke, but his daydreaming would be interrupted as the Gammas made themselves heard. They wanted Max to join their winning team, but didn't care for his two other friends. Max rejected their offer and with the help of Bridgett, the Gammas were "snapped" out of the club and Bradley, the head leader of the Gammas, vowed to get revenge.

Later that day, Goofy went to work at Beekins and could not shake the depression that he had sunk into. The fact that his job was to stand at an assembly line for eight hours a day didn't do much for his self confidence either. Everything felt so mediocre, and Goofy started to think about Max and overlooked the toys coming down the line. He accidentally tripped the conveyer belt switch to 'fast' and toys flew down the chute onto the line. He tried to fix the problem but hit the 'reserve' button out of panic and somehow got sucked into a large machine and blew the warehouse right up. And of course, he was fired. So Goofy went back to a place he knew all to well – the unemployment office. The solution was simple. He was unable to get another good job without a college degree, and he really kicked himself that he didn't complete his courses the first time around. Goofy promptly headed over to Max's campus and enrolled in the classes alongside his son. The day Goofy showed up in his son's modern history class, in his ridiculous 70's outfit, Max thought he had died and gone to hell. Goofy was happy at this turn of events to spend time with this son once more, but poor Max was mortified.

Max quickly turned sour over his dad invading his life again, and he needed a plan – a scheme to distract his father and give himself a little freedom to manoeuvre. While at the library with Goofy, he quickly decided to pawn his father off on the school's librarian, Ms. Marpole, to get a library card so he could get some X Games practice in. Little did Max know he had just played matchmaker with these two lost and lonely souls. Ms. Marpole, whose first name was Sylvia, had hit her forties and came from the same timeframe Goofy was hopelessly stuck in. As soon as Goofy saw her, in her red-framed glasses and short cut orangey-red hair, something inside of him just…clicked 'on' after so many dormant years. He noticed she had a genuine mood ring on her finger, and found she was a lover of all things 70's as he was himself. Goofy felt a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time, and for one reason or another got enough courage to ask Sylvia out on a date for some dinner and dancing. She looked beautiful as she glimmered in the presence of the sunlit library. Sylvia herself was sort of like Goofy in a way – she was lonesome. She never found the right man in her life, never found true happiness and was reduced to nothing but a "sexless bookworm" lifestyle staying home on Saturday nights reading at her apartment. They both could not wait until their date Saturday night. Meanwhile, Goofy had to tell Max his good news about getting a date. Sorry to say, it was bad timing as Max was practicing for the X Games on a skateboard ramp and Goofy climbed up onto it unaware of what might happen. It resulted into Max crashing into him and losing his skateboard, which his father somehow had gotten onto and was now flying high in the air off the ramp. The Gammas noticed Goofy's "talent" on a board and offered Goofy to join their team. Goofy was hesitant at first, but Max urged him to join so he could unload his dad to let someone else deal with is goofiness.

After all the fuss, Max along with P.J. and Bobby went to hang out at the college's hottest dance spot on campus, Club Rave – a great place to hang out and to eat cheesy nachos at half price. Bridgett walked by their table, and after unsuccessfully trying to be picked up by Bobby, she coinsured her way over to P.J., who was immediately open about his profound poetic ways – and the guys were stunned. She was attracted to him right away and they went to cut a rug on the dance floor. Coincidently, Goofy and Sylvia were at the club that night on their date, and boy did they ever make an entrance. Goofy came out on the dance floor totally decked out in his old disco dancing outfit, something that had been collecting dust in his closet for the past two decades. He felt he was in his zone once again. Sylvia came in at the other end of the dance floor; jaws dropped as she walked out with her hair up sporting a one-piece lime-green outfit that complemented her curves very well. People were shell-shocked at how this peaceful librarian had suddenly morphed into this stunning, sexy lady. Goofy was floored with Sylvia and her attractive ensemble. They amazed the younger generation at the club with their slick and smooth dance moves, and Max was even blown away by his father's talent. As Goofy danced with Sylvia, spinning around to the beat of "Shake Your Groove Thing", it was almost like a throwback to the days he had shared with Penny. It was a total flashback, and as they danced time around them all but stopped and the people around them ceased to exist as they encased themselves in this moment of passion and desire. Both of them had not felt like this for a long time. So young…so alive.

After the dance, Goofy and Sylvia took a stroll outside in the campus' park down by the lake. It was a cool summer's night, and was like deja-vu for Goofy all over again when he and his former wife used to spend time together in the same setting. Both of them settled on a bench. The atmosphere was embracing, and it was a clear and starry night as the moon glistened upon the water. At first, Goofy was unsure of what to do next, as he didn't want to blow it with one wrong move. It had been a long time since either of them had dated, and it was kind of an awkward moment. Goofy coyly walked his hand over to Sylvia, as she did the same, and the most amazing thing happened. Both of their mood rings that they were wearing lit up, and glowed brightly against the dark night surroundings. Both of them were mystified, and took an immersing look into each other's eyes. Sylvia's beauty was only enhanced under the glow of the ring. It was there – that longing and happiness Goofy thought he'd never feel again from another woman had returned. It was like the mood rings were a sign; a sign for Goofy to move on, from the burdening weight he had been carrying around for years.

"Oh Goofy, this is the best night of my life." she said, as she nuzzled her body close to his.

"Mine too." he replied as he put his arm around her.

On that night, two wandering hearts had found the one they had been looking for.

It soon came time for the qualifying round at the sixth annual college X Games as Team 99 of Max, Bobby and P.J. made their way to the street skateboarding competition along with the Gammas featuring Goofy. To make sure they won, Tank, one of the Gammas members, put a small rocket engine device on Goofy's skateboard so they cloud "boost" his performance in more ways than one. His score was top notch. Then it was Max's turn, and he was pretty phased out by his father doing so well. He started out perfectly with his jumps, but Bradley took out a mirror and directed it toward Max so they sun's rays would blind him. This resulted in Max losing his concentration and falling down a ramp, which really hurt his score. But he balanced it out by doing a signature move of his own that made him end strongly. With barley above a six-point average, Team 99 made the semi finals by the skin of their teeth. Max was angry with his father for once again intruding on his lifestyle. He totally invaded and overshadowed his performance. It was supposed to be his time to shine, not his dad's. Hadn't he learned his lesson before to get his own life?

Goofy's mid-term exam for modern history eventually came up, and he couldn't pay attention at all. He had the same problem – he couldn't stay focused on the main task. The first time, his mind was always on Penny. Now he was thinking about Max and doodling his name on his exam paper. He had a very strange daydream, in which he saw himself as a younger man when he knew all the latest hypes and fads. He questioned where he fell out of touch with the modern world of today. Goofy like to immerse himself in a fantasyland, where the disco ball never stopped turning and where his son was his best friend. This image was shaken though, as the surrounding thoughts of recent events that happened shot rapidly through his brain. During this hallucination, Goofy had totally forgotten to write the test. He moped around the college grounds, and sat by the water fountain for hours just thinking about things and feeling sorry for himself. All the while Sylvia had a special fondue dinner set up for the both of them at her apartment, and Goofy was a no show. All Sylvia could think about was that maybe she had made a mistake, and this was just another man that let her down and broke her heart.

Goofy needed a break, and during a leave of holiday went back to his house as Pete invited himself over. The only reason he loved going over to Goofy's place was because of his brick barbecue, which he used every chance he got to grill up miscellaneous items as he was too cheap to buy his own. It was while Pete was playing horseshoes that Goofy remembered his old lecture he had told the boys before they left for college – always stay focused on your goals. He realized his lack of concentration was going to ruin his chances of graduating again, so he headed back over the college to start studying. Without delay he looked for Sylvia who he thought would help him with his studies, but his presence was not welcome as she was still hopping mad over the dinner he had forgotten about. He was truly sorry for letting his mind get filled up with useless fiddle-faddle, and apologized for his actions. Sylvia couldn't help but forgive him, and with her help they crammed night and day at her apartment to get his grades up to snuff. And he did – Goofy blew the other students away with a perfect 'A' average. Sylvia was thrilled and Goofy was as well, but there were still some things to settle…

If it meant ruining his relationship with his son, Goofy did not want to be part of the Gammas anymore. He quit their team the day before the big tournament, and they hit the roof and literally kicked Goofy to the curb. Upon realizing he still had their pin, he went back into the Gammas house and placed the pin on a nearby desk. It was then he overheard they were planning to foil Team 99's chances of winning the X Games. Goofy swiftly rushed over to Max and told him about the Gammas cheating, but Max was far too blinded with rage and didn't believe a word his father said. The games started with the eight qualifying teams in the semi finals. The Gammas had the whole place readily rigged with traps and henchmen all around. Eventually, the two remaining teams were Team 99 and the Gammas. This was it – the final round in which two teams would battle it out for the title of X Games king. Just as things were getting underway, P.J.'s manipulated inline skates rocketed him into the sky, courtesy of the Gammas. Without a third team member, they would have to forfeit to the Gammas. Luckily, Goofy came to the rescue and saved the day. The triathlon was gruelling and just made worse by the Gammas sabotaging everything. It was soon down to Max and Tank, and Bradley would not take any chances on Tank losing. So he activated the rocket device that was strapped under Max's skateboard. He went flying, and scooped Tank up in the process and flew right into the huge X Games 'X' structure that fell to the ground and burst into flames. Goofy went to save his son and Tank. While this was happening, Bradley had made his way down the track and was going to cross the finish line. In a flash, Max caught up to him and drove it home and won the championship and was awarded the X Games trophy, while Brad was awarded some sweet revenge from Tank.

Graduation time came for Goofy and he received his degree in April 2000. He just needed to complete one more term to finish where he left off back when his first went to college. Max was very pound of him, and gave his father the X Games trophy as a token of his affection. Sylvia stopped by with Goofy's '56 Bel-Air and went out to celebrate that night. What a time it had been.

o----o

Max continued in his classes at the college. The first term was wild with his father on the campus. Now that things had settled down, his mind started to float toward a person in his life he felt he had left behind. Roxanne had gone to the same college as Max, but they almost never saw each other during their first term. They both were swept away in the freshman fashion of a new and exciting life to explore. While Max had his X-Games, Roxanne was more cultured, and was on the music club and often went to the auditorium to see the up and coming actors and actresses put on various stage productions. If they ever did see one another, it was often a quick look as they shuffled around with their own groups of friends. It was strange how everything was now.

Sweet Roxanne had a few guys chasing her many times while on campus. But being loyal to Max, she turned them down. She still had feelings for him, as Max did for her, but Max had towed a risky line while dealing with the opposite sex. Yes, he did flirt once in a while with them, and never turned down a dance when he was at Club Rave. After winning the X Games competition there seemed to be a never-ending line of girls at his dorm door. He aimed never to let his hormones get the best of him, but one night his willpower almost fell to pieces. After coming home from Club Rave with a beautiful young women hanging off his arm, things started to get a tad hot and heavy in his dorm room. At first, Max just went along with the flow and got lost in the moment. They started to make out on the couch, but just as things started to get to that point of no return, Max collected himself and abruptly stopped. What the hell was he doing? He almost let himself be taken away in a rush of thriving sensations. He bid the disappointed lady goodbye, and took out a small photo album. He scanned the pages, full of pictures of him and Roxanne from years before. He longed for her touch, and wanted to be with her once more. Meanwhile, at the other end of the campus, Roxanne was watching an old VHS tape of their high school graduation that Goofy had recorded on his camcorder. They were so happy back then. She too, felt an emptiness in her heart.

Goofy and Sylvia were now going steady as a couple, and she had moved into Goofy's house. Goofy could not believe love would come a second time around for him, and it appeared that things in his life were stable and finally coming along. Sylvia still continued to work at the college library, while Goofy tried to find work with his degree. It was during this time that Goofy had learned his old friend Mickey Mouse was in town, and in the process of building his own nightclub that was located in the heart of downtown Spoonerville. Goofy asked his old pal if he could score him a job; as luck would have it, Mickey found that they were in need of a waiter. Not the best profession for a person who trips and falls and awful lot, but Goofy did his best. The club opened spring 2001 under the name House Of Mouse, and soon became to town's hottest hang out.

Back on campus, Max's second term was coming to a close. One the last day of classes Max and Roxanne ran into each other in the hallway, alone from the herds of friends they'd usually be dragging around with. It had been a long time since any of them had really seen much of each other, and they wanted to peruse that relationship they had put on hold. They went for a walk out on the campus. It was the first time either of them had really spoken to one another since the ending of high school, and they had a lot to share. While walking, Max slowly grasped Roxanne's hand. She stopped in her tracks and turned to him. They stared into each other's loving expression for what seemed to be an hour. They never realized how grown up they each had gotten. Roxanne was now a young woman, and had formed quite the nice looking figure, while Max looked handsome as ever with his neatly styled head of hair that always seemed to fall in the right place. Both had a warm, flushing "stomach upside down all around" feeling inside as they inched closer and closer to their faces. He lightly brushed her hair away from her face, and they passionately kissed. That one single kiss bridged the gap between their two drifting hearts, and Max and Roxanne were together once more. Young lovers in their prime. Yes, that's right – _lovers_. It took an eternity of them being apart that they found they could not live without one another, and Max had finally found and understood that feeling his father told him about all those years ago.

With summer vacation on the way, and Roxanne in his life once again, Max thought it wise to get a part time job to supply him with some more – as Bobby would put it, "_spend-age_". He was aware of his father's job at the House Of Mouse, so he asked his dad if he could hook him up with a job. With the help of Mickey, Goofy did so and Max became the club's parking valet. It was fun with working there, although his father no matter how hard he tried did embarrass him from time to time. But it appeared Max could finally stand and accept his father's goofiness – but only to a point. It was perfect timing that Max got the job over at the club. He could take advantage of working there as he planned a date out with Roxanne, which was their first in a long time. To reassure Goofy didn't mess anything up, the House Of Mouse staff vowed to keep Goofy pre-occupied as possible. The plan unfortunately backfired, as the staff themselves made the dating environment more of a hassle than ever. Max just wanted Roxanne to be happy, and she indeed was – it was the best date she had ever been on with him.

By spring 2003, Max and his friends were finishing up their final days of college life. What a ride it had been, and he could not believe it was over. It felt just like yesterday they rolled into campus in Bobby's van, admiring the Gamma jerks. Max would often sit outside and watch the freshman roll in, and remembered a time when he himself was that new. The end of college marked an ending and a beginning, just as high school did. Team 99 had won the past four X Games competitions, and were proudly going home undefeated. Now it was time to be let out into the cold harsh world to start their careers. On a personal level, Max and Roxanne were deeply in love and it made Bobby sick, being the unsuccessful ladies man he was. P.J. and Bridgett were also slowly moving along with their relationship, and they had been going out for quite some time.

On the last day they would be on the campus, Roxanne and Max took an all too familiar night stroll in the park down by the lake. It was to their surprise that in the nearby distance, Goofy and Sylvia were sitting on a park bench. They quickly ducked behind a tree, as not to attract any attention to themselves…

Goofy was very happy again for the first time in a long while, and he loved Sylvia very much. He knew that time was ticking – he was already 45 and wasn't getting any younger. So he decided to take that jump again, and to plunge into newlywed ecstasy once more.

…Suddenly, Goofy got down on one knee in front of Sylvia and Max along with Roxanne subconsciously knew it was coming, and couldn't believe they were witnessing such a tender moment. You could barley hear what they were saying, and then Sylvia screamed as she tackled Goofy to the ground and smothered him with kisses. Roxanne giggled, while Max got goose bumps at what he himself wanted to do. After things settled down between Goofy and Sylvia, Max and Roxanne made it so they popped out of nowhere acting as if they hadn't seen a thing. They were warmly greeted by the happy, soon to be married couple.

"Hey guys." Max greeted as he walked to meet them, holding hands with Roxanne.

"Hiya Max! Roxanne! Guess what! Me and Sylvia are getting married!" Goofy exclaimed.

"That's great you guys!" Max replied.

"So, what are you two doing down here?" Sylvia questioned.

"Oh…us? Well…I, uh, um. You see…" Max suddenly froze up and couldn't speak.

"Max? What has gotten into you?" Roxanne enquired.

All three of them stared at Max curiously as if he had something to hide…well, he did.

"Well, I _was_ going to wait till we were alone – but now seems like a perfect time as ever." he admitted as he turned to Roxanne, getting down on one knee.

Roxanne was taken back into a state of shocking surprise. She gasped and covered her mouth in nervousness as she started to quiver. Goofy and Sylvia also stood back in amazement to what they were witnessing. Max pulled out a small box to uncover a small ring. He almost couldn't hold in his emotions.

"Roxanne…" he quietly spoke, "the first time I saw you, you grabbed a hold of my heart and wouldn't let go. You were the most beautiful creature in the world to me, and you still are today. It wasn't until I was without you for over a year, that I knew I couldn't live without you for the rest of time…"

Roxanne could barely stand and was sincerely trying to hold back the joyous tears.

"Roxanne…will you marry me?"

Roxanne almost forgot how to speak, but whispered out a barley audible, "Yes…of course I will."

Now Max's tears could be seen flowing down his cheeks, as he gently slipped the ring on her finger. Before Max could get back up and kiss his soon to be wife, Goofy grabbed him and hugged him so tight he almost couldn't move.

"Ah-yuck! Hot-dog Max, you're getting married!" Goofy yelped.

"I know dad…cough I know, but p-please, I can't breathe!"

"Oops, sorry son, ah-yuck!"

Love was in the air, and there was magic everywhere – two times as much because two loving couples were getting hitched. With the perfect timing that both of them were getting married, they decided to have a dual wedding together in one big wedding extravaganza! The girls went crazy with organizing the event, while the guys hung out and Goofy gave Max many insightful tips about marriage. The mood around the Goof household was full of marriage franticness; it was a feeling of excitement and yearning that you could only experience once in a lifetime…and in Goofy's case, twice if you're lucky.

Soon the day came in a large ceremony hosted at the House Of Mouse. It was winter, but luckily the first snow had not fallen and everything was clear as day. The club was packed to capacity with relatives and friends as far as the eye could see. Matilda flew in from Florida to attend her son's second wedding. Pete was Goofy's best man while P.J. was Max's – and with the way things were going with Bridgett, it appeared Max would be P.J.'s best man soon enough. Bobby and Stacey were in the audience, along with Peg and Pistol among a slue of others. Goofy and Sylvia where married first, then Max and Roxanne came next. They were beautiful ceremonies, and everyone had a great time. George and Sylvia Goof; along with Maximilian and Roxanne Goof, were married on December 5th, 2003. Yes, it was the date that Penny died. But why not make the worst day of your life the happiest as well? While both couples jogged to the limo they had rented amongst a fury of rice and confetti being thrown at them, Goofy and Sylvia paused as Roxanne and Max got into the limo. Goofy looked towards the sky. It was a chilly but otherwise sunny outside with hints of clouds. Through the sun and its rays…Goofy could have sworn he saw an image of Penny in the clouds, sliming and waving, and nodding as if to say, "It's alright, be with her."

"C'mon guys, what are you waiting for?" Max said as the older couple stood out in the cold.

Goofy sighed a happy sigh, "Nothing son." he said as he glared off into the heavens, "I'm not waiting anymore."

After a while, the limo pulled up in front of the house. Goofy had a surprise waiting for Max in the backyard. The old small sliver streamline trailer, the same one that was his hideaway with Penny all those years ago, was there and it was hooked up to the Bel-Air.

"Dad, are you sure?" Max questioned.

"Why of course, Maxie. A young couple like yourselves should go out and explore the open road." he said as he tossed Max the keys. "You take it son…" he said as he and Sylvia walked into his house, "…and have a good time at Lake Destiny." he modestly winked, smiling.

Max winked right back at him, "Oh, don't worry dad," he said as he put his arm around Roxanne, his new loving wife, "I will."

o----o

Let's end at the ending – present day Spoonerville…

…is where Goofy and his loving wife Sylvia still live at their residence in the massive suburban area of Spoonerville, and it is quite the different time and town than it was fifty years ago. The town is now very large, consisting vastly of everything you ever needed to live and raise a family. Huge malls and plazas so big it's like walking into another city. It is a town full of culture and history, and continues to prosper to this very day.

Goofy and Sylvia now manage their own bookstore, which is located just off the college campus. Whenever they have time, they head down to the House Of Mouse for dinning and dancing. Goofy eventually put the Bel-Air into storage and drives a used but reliable '94 Mazda Protégé. Peg is still in real estate and is still living at her townhouse with Pistol, who is now a teenager in her last year of high school. Pete is currently on the run from the I.R.S. and people haven't seen or heard of him in a while. Stacey works as a fashion designer while Bobby became head of the largest manufacturer and distributor of canned aerosol cheese. P.J. and Bridgett are still currently together and have their own place. Bridgett now owns the Bean Scene, while P.J. works at a sports store fixing skateboards and such. They are happy in their relationship, and plan to get married in a year or two. Max and Roxanne eventually bought back Max's childhood home at 357 Main and enjoy working on the fixer-upper. Roxanne works in advertising, while Max went on to be a sports announcer/anchor for ESPN to sort of live out his mother's goal of becoming a broadcaster – a profession his mother would have loved, and would no doubt be a line of work she would be proud to see her son in. He also teaches skateboard classes on the side at the Spoonerville Community Center. Most recently, Max and Roxanne proudly gave birth to their first child. A beautiful baby girl, born on April 7th, 2005 – and they named her Penelope Roxanne Goof, after Max's dearly departed mother.

Now Max and Roxanne are the young married couple, working and thriving to live out their dreams and goals, while Goofy and Sylvia have become somewhat of the old married couple – but their burning love and adoration for each other keep their relationship young and kicking. Soon, little Penelope will grow up, and go to school, hopefully meet someone – and the cycle of life will begin all over again, as time marches on and the clock of life ticks forward. And so another page turns and another season changes, in the life and times of the Goof family and their friends.


	6. Author Commentary

Well, now that you've read the fic – which I hope you enjoyed, it's time to shed some background on the things featured within it. I'm sure many of you have questions and comments about certain things I have written, so I'll fill you in here with a sort of "DVD Commentary" explaining the who's, what's, when's, where's, why's and how's of my story. I'll tell ya, at one point everything was so scattered, and I thought I'd never pull this story together. Happily, everything fit into place and I think I pulled off a good story, don't you?

I'd just like to throw out there, if anyone wants to draw a fanpic(s) of what you think the characters in my fic look like, I'd be very appreciative of that. I'd love to see what you see in your mind to what the characters look like. I have my own images, but can't really draw the way others can so talent-ly draw. So the people who got it – flaunt it! And express your gift!

First off, the fic was divided into three parts, as it would be far too big to post as a one shot, but it's too short to be a chaptered story. It structured on the basis of the animated series _For Better Or For Worse_ – with the "early years", "growing years" and the "later years". The "early years" span from Goofy's birth to marriage before Max, from 1958 to 1981. The "growing years" start from Max's birth and stop when Max hits college – an appropriate time I think most growing has ceased, from 1981 to 1999. The "later years" cover an older Goofy and Max leading up to their marriages, from 1999 to the year this fic was typed, 2005.

Second off, the story is cut down into smaller portions. Each portion represents a small time frame and is divided with this symbol: "o----o" and signifies beginnings and endings in my characters lives. Let me expand…

Goofy's childhood (1958-1972)  
Goofy's high school years (1972-1976)  
Goofy's & Penny's lives after high school/during college/beginning of marriage (1977-1980)

Goofy's & Penny's lives growing up with Max (1981-1987)  
Goofy/Max growing up without Penny/moving on (1988-1990)  
Goofy/Max on the road/_Goof Troop_ events (1991-1993)  
Goofy/Max in between events from _Goof Troop_ ending to _AGM_ (1993-1995)  
Max's freshman year in high school/_AGM_ road trip (1995-1996)  
Max and friends high school years/harsh times for Goofy (1996-1999)

Goofy/Max and friends freshmen year in college/_AEGM_ (1999-2000)  
Max and friends during/after college years/dual weddings (2000-2003)  
Goofy/Max and friend's present day lives (2004-2005)

Third off, I'd like to highlight certain things of the Goofy "world" that are null and void and do not pertain to this fic because they do not fit in it in any way.  
-I'd just like to point out that in _AEGM_ when Pete said that after P.J. left for college, he'll be a free man. He has his daughter Pistol left, unless she is cut off from her father totally. Total irregularity on Disney's part.  
-The _GT_ episode "Educating Goofy" is about Goofy passing junior high because, evidently, he failed it. Then how the hell did he make it to college in the first place? This is insignificant to my fic, and would make no sense to put in.  
-It appears in the 2004 release _Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas_, Max brings his girlfriend home for the holidays. Max is worried about how…ahem; _Mona_ will perceive his bumbling father. This episode is narrated in song from Max's perspective, and Max begins to realize that having a father like Goofy isn't so bad after all. Before I knew this, I wanted to use this movie, but I have never seen it. It looked good from afar, and shares a trait from _AEGM_ because Goofy's house looks the same in this video. It's yellow and has the same building set up except it looks a tad smaller. It also looks like he's living out in the country from the one wallpaper screenshot I saw.  
After I knew what this movie was all about, wow, talk about a totally crap-ass story. The "my dad is so embarrassing" scenario has been done to death, and yet through the reviews I have read on the net about this video, people seem to like the short "Christmas Maximus" the best. All this time I was wondering about the Max development here since seeing him in _AEGM_/_House Of Mouse_…only to find Max has **_another girlfriend_**? Are you friggin kidding! I find out her name is Mona. Why the heck create a new character totally out of the blue and not evolution-ize Roxanne? Yes, the short would not have worked then – but they shouldn't of even made it at all if was totally gonna cut Roxanne out. Mona, even in looks takes after what Roxy would look like in her 20's. I have seen a photo or two from the video of her; total Roxanne rip-off. So obviously, this movie has no place in my story, because I am a Max/Roxanne supporter all the way!

Okay, now to look at the fic from an in-depth informative point of view…

_The Life & Times Of: Before & After_  
Ah yes, the title. The name "Life & Times Of" popped into my head right away for a good title. But it needed more of a buzz. I tried "The Life & Times of The Goof's" or "…The Goof Family", but it didn't work. Plus I didn't want to highlight one character because the story features many different people. So "The Life & Times Of:" part implies everyone in the fic, using it like "The Life & Times Of: insert name here" sort of deal. The "Before & After" part recognizes all the before and afters that happen in the lives of the characters. EG, Goofy's life before and after Penny, before and after living from place to place, before and after Max moving off to college, before and after Sylvia – it all relates to the numerous events that happen in the fic. 

_Let's begin at the beginning – May 25th 1958…  
_This is when Goofy first appeared in a Disney animated short called _Mickey's Revue_ released on May 25, 1932 as an unnamed "goober" muncher. 1958 seemed a good year to place his birth at coinciding with how old Max is in the 90's and Goofy going to college in the late 70's – cause as we all know _AEGM_ is a very disco themed film and disco's popular years were about 1976 to 1980.

_…is when George G. Goof was born on a rainy, mild spring day in Spoonerville, Ohio to the parents of Benjamin and Matilda Goof._  
-It has been proven time and time again through the years that George G. Goof is Goofy's real name and "Goofy" is just a nickname for obvious reasons. Goofy or Goofey are not real last names, even though on the map in _AGM_ the name is spelt "Goofey" (which really contradicts itself). Maybe it's just a weird plural spelling of it? To expand on this, there are numerous times in both movies and in the TV series that people have called Goofy and Max under the last name of (Mr.) Goof. One example…in _AGM_ Goofy says something like "passed down from Goof to Goof generations" when referring to the fishing pole. Plus in the TV series pilot the narrator says, "_Mr. G, G, Goof has successfully completed his advanced, beginners course, and is here by awarded in the degree of W,W,D."  
-_Spoonerville being in Ohio is sort of proven in _AGM_. You see two good shots of the map and where the start off point is, and it looks like they are living in Ohio. But Spoonerville isn't in Ohio – truth be told there is a Spoonerville in Vermont and Missouri. But since the movies sort of cut out every original aspect from the TV series (like not being in the same house, etc), its possible one could say that Max and Goofy moved to another town and state. I couldn't have them moving back and forth…and really, wouldn't you want fanfics to take place _in_ Spoonerville, their old hometown? I just like to keep things precise and right. Look at the _AGM_ DVD, where they are at the house leaving and then when Max changes the map – then look at a map of the US – you'll see its there and see its Ohio. So I decided to make up my own placing for the town in Ohio.  
-As of April 20, 2005 I saw the episode "Wrecks, Lies & Videotape" and the host on the television says the following address, "World's Most Painful Home Video's, Contusion Tower, Ohio, 432701192." More proof that Spoonerville is indeed in Ohio. BTW, there is no such thing as the Contusion Tower.  
-Goofy's parent's names…Benjamin is from _AGM_ and is the second name on the map, so I assumed that was his father while Walter being the first name would be his granddad. Matilda is a female Goofy related character in the Disney comics and whatnot that I used just for the name. In general I have made up most Goofy's background from scratch.

_with trailer in toe on their annual trip to Lake Destiny in Idaho._  
There is no such place, but there is an Idaho Falls and the city is called "City of Destiny". Remember that Goofy talks about these trips in _AGM_.

_He even went to Yosemite National Park in Northern California with his Granddad Walter on a couple occasions  
_Goofy mentioned going up there with his granddad in _AGM_.

_by the name of Peter Percival, better known as Pete to you and me  
_His actual name is really Percy P. Percival, but I decided to stay with Peter/Pete as a first name because it fit well.

_The name "Putty Fingers Pete" would haunt him for quite some time, and Pete was furious at Goofy for what he had done.  
_The events of Goofy causing Pete to fumble the ball are described in the series pilot, "Everything's Coming Up Goofy (Forever Goof Part 1)".

_Penelope Maple (Penny for short), the head editor of the school's newspaper.  
_-It seems many people have dubbed a certain Disney character named Penny who is Goofy's wife. I have never seen her personally but I will let you envision what the Penny in my fic looks like, the way you want. I myself really don't have a clear vision of her, but I'd throw out a guess and make her a cross (in looks) between Roxanne and Ms. Marpole from _AEGM_…and/or maybe Miss Pennypacker from the episode "Date With Destiny"? I was originally going to use the last name Geef – that was sometimes Goofy's last name in some old Disney shorts. But I like Maple as it somewhat relates to Marpole, plus Maple is the last name of the high school's secretary in _AGM_.  
-Oddly enough, one episode of _Goof Troop_ had Goofy dating Max's school councillor who bore the name Miss Pennypacker in the episode "Date With Destiny". Coincidence? I think not.

_and El-Babba Burgers – home of the "double cheesin, people pleasin ton of fun on a bun burger"_  
If you watched the TV series often, this was mentioned in the series pilot, "Everything's Coming Up Goofy (Forever Goof Part 1)".

_After gradating as the class of '76, Goofy and Penny  
_Where I live, Ontario Canada, my 1985-generation was the first under a new curriculum were we only had four grades, 9 thru 12. Grade 13 or OAC was always an option to the pre-'85 group of kids. So I placed the characters in four years of high school.

_Penny and Goofy loved to bust a move, and both were very good at disco dancing, which was in full crazed swing at the time._  
My only reason why Goofy is such a good dancer in _AEGM_.

_presented Penny with a mood promise ring  
_I got this idea from _AEGM_ with Goofy and Sylvia's mood rings.

_Love was in the air, and there was magic everywhere – they were young and in love…and getting married!_  
This is a re-worked line from the 1975 disco hit "When You're Young And In Love" sung by Ralph Carter.

_Benjamin gave his son his old small sliver streamline trailer  
_The only reason I can see that Goofy has a trailer in the pilot of the TV series.

_April 1, 1980 – April Fool's Day_  
I thought the wedding day being on this day added to Goofy's foolish character.

_Maximilian George Goof was born on September 7th, 1981 at Spoonerville General Hospital on a chilly but otherwise clear night at 10:06pm  
-_That is Max's full name based on my assumptions. Maximilian is only spelt with one "l", not two. It is a full name…not Maximum, as others have stated. Max is not a nickname, it's his _real_ name.  
-September 7, 1992 was the first time we were introduced to Max and Goofy as a single dad in the premiere of _Goof Troop_ with "Everything's Coming Up Goofy"/Good Neighbor Goofy".  
-10:06pm is the time I was born :)

**Now – hold on right here. I am about to spin your head of your shoulders as I rant about Max's years of birth in my various fan theories…**

But note this: I wrote this before seeing the episode "Take Me Out Of The Ball Game" on April 19, 2005, where Max celebrates a birthday. It's safe and pretty damn accurate to say he has turned 12, as with episodes before this he stated twice he was 11½. So I guess Max's date of birth is actually in 1980. Damn, that sucks from my point of view, as you will hopefully read…

I am about to get VERY technical. First, people say that Max is 19 at the end of _AEGM_. How do you know that? There is nothing in that film that ever says he turns 19 at the end. I know people usually go into the college school year at 18 in August, and then from January to April – that there is the 19th year.  
Second – if Max is indeed 19 in this movie…and this movie is copyrighted 2000 – that would make Max born in 1981. This isn't consistent with _AGM_. If it was, it would hypothetically be the summer of 1996 where Max is 15, not 1995, finishing up the 95/1996 school year. So, either people in the States don't have an 8th grade in elementary school and consider 8th grade the beginning of high school, (but I don't think that is the case) or something is very wrong here.  
For being released in February 2000, and being a direct to video release, _AEGM_ was probably done production by the end of 1999 (where I saw some sites had it copyrighted). Plus, back in 1997 people knew a second movie was in the works…and since production started on _AGM_ in 1993, two years after it was released…I _could_ say _AEGM_ started in 1997 and ended late 1999…and with the way production fell under the months the release date just happened to be in the early months of another year, 2000. And people always copyright years of release, not production. So…if I go by that theory of production year, Max would be 19 in 1999, which is consistent with _AGM_ and places his birth in 1980.  
_But_…Max is 11½ in the TV show, he states that in a 1992 episode where he can't drive cause he's only 11½ in "You Camp Take It With You". So in 1992 is he 11 going 11½? (Which would make DOB '81) or 11½ going 12? (Which would make DOB '80). So then how old would he be in the 1993 season?

_BUT…  
_As stated above, if I use my theory of production vs. release dates, then one could say Max was born even earlier, in '79, cause _GT_ was in production in 1991…but if he's 11½ in '91, depending if he's going 12 in that same year, 1980 seems like a good year to go with…and that REALLY sucks cause I had already written the story on my long-term beliefs he was born in '81, and now if that was wrong I'd have to totally change everything in the fic and set everything a year back which would conflict greatly with my fic's plot and the way its written.

You see, I am building this story off of what I know of the past decades. I was never alive during the 70's and first half of the 80's, plus I was a baby back then so I really only have been aware of my time since the late 90's till now. I never knew what it was like to be alive in those earlier times and have complied from what I know each year to be from various stereotypes and pop-culture – one major influence being music.  
Having Max's birth at 1981, for me in some strange reason being so close in years to his birth (1985), I felt I could associate with him on a level of the times I/we grew up in. Technically, Max would be in his last year of high school in 1999 and I would be entering my first. If I were to push back his date of birth to 1980, suddenly with that one year difference it felt that Max was in a total generation away from me. I know that sounds weird, and many of you might not even get/care for what I am saying, but then he would already be 25 now and I work with people who are that age and I feel like I come from a total different time. One year can make all the difference, especially in my fic. 1980 borderlines on 1979, and its that one change of that third number, from an eight to a seven (or vice-versa) that could change a reader's perception on a certain part of the story, especially if they didn't live in that time. EG, if they read 1979 – they may think right away white suits and disco. If you flip it to 1980, you may suddenly think of big hair rock and new wave. Just because a number changed bringing time into another decade, doesn't mean it cuts the previous decade off just like that. EG, disco was still very popular in 1980 with tunes like "Funkytown" from Lipps Inc. which is from 1980. It wasn't until 81/82'ish that disco suffered a backlash and suddenly it was the rock/synth-pop/new wave MTV video generation.  
So, to continue, if I placed Max in 1980, I would have to change all the years in my fic a year back, and that would have made the whole story set back another era too far. Get it? Then Goofy would have been in high school from 1971-75, and I really didn't want him that early in high school in 1971, because it was barley out of the 60's and the real "70's" culture was really in the middle to later part of the decade. Then I thought it almost followed a _Simpsons_-like timeline, with Bart being born in 1980 and Homer and Marge graduating in 1974, and I didn't want certain events of my story all saturated in the 70's.

Then it would move Penny's return to Spoonerville from '78 to '77, and '77 is pushing it too far back with big disco tunes. If you picture Goofy and Penny before marriage dancing at the disco, the _big_ years were really '78-'79. '77 was just the beginning of the explosion with films like _Saturday Night Fever_. Then Goofy's marriage would be pushed to 1979 rather than 1980. And as stated above that one change of year would push the wedding into a whole other associated decade. I wanted the marriage in 1980 to symbolize a fresh start on life with a new decade. I didn't want Max in 1980, for the reasons stated above that he is too old for me to associate with him, and the fact 1980 borderlines on 1979. I like Max being born in 1981 because it again symbolizes a closing/ending and a beginning. For Goofy and Penny, it really signified the last days of their "late nights at the disco", moreover by 1981 disco was totally out and it would seem to fit perfectly as they give up their boogie shoes for baby booties. Max's 1981 year of birth signifies the start of a new era of the MTV video generation and the infectious types of music that rose from the ashes of disco.  
Overall, more things would be pushed back. I didn't want Penny's death in 1986, it was to mid 80's-ish. I didn't want Goofy and Max moving out in 1989, because again it would change the readers perception of the times compared to 1990 – and it sort of marked a new time in their lives moving out during the fresh new decade. Plus, Max would be too old for his "stated" age in _Goof Troop_, and it would not work even if I went by production years (91/92) or release dates (92/93). Honestly, they just should have made him 12 in this show, because that's how old most kids are a lot of animated cartoons out there.

Now with that said, this conflicts with the first movie, _AGM_. He is no longer in elementary school and has just finished grade nine and is on summer vacation. (You would not believe how badly the school years messed me up at first) So I am safe to say it's the summer of 1995 and Max is now 15. I don't know about American high schools, but when you start high school you are 14, going 15, yes? Not 13, going 14.  
Again, I am faced with the same dilemma. If Max is born in 1981, that would be his 1995/1996 school year and it would be summer of 1996. I really wanted it in 1995, because _AGM_ is so represent-ive of that period of time, and moving it a year forward seems to make it out of place for the pop-culture it inhabits. It's so 1995, not 1996. One year makes all the difference. Him being born in 1980 would chronology make _AGM_ correct, with him in the 1994/1995 school year turning 15. It then again pushes Max into another frame of time that I really can't relate to as well. If born in 1981, it would be 1995/1996 where he is 15. It conflicts with _AGM_ and the time it's encased in and doesn't feel like a 1996 themed movie. But on the other hand I can feel closer to Max's character cause when he graduates in 1999 I started high school myself.  
Honestly, it would have been a better film if it were the last year of junior high going _into_ high school. It would put more pressure on Max to get Roxanne to notice him because they would be headed off to high school and by then it may be too late to make an impression since high school would be filled with a lot more competition for Roxanne's affections.

Now, concerning _AEGM_, its all-personal opinion. You don't have to go to college right after you finish high school, and some people may take a year off first. That aside, Max being born in 1980 or 1981 works on two levels. If indeed Max goes off to college right after high school, it would be the 1998/1999 school year where Max turns 19. This works on one hand because the movie was being produced during this time. But it, AGAIN, pushes it back too far in time. Max is already in college, and I'm still in my last year of elementary school! I didn't want that. 1981 would put him 1999/2000. This works perfectly for the movie being made in 1999 and released in 2000. And for some reason, starting college in the new millennium just sounded a lot better than starting off at the late end of the 90's in 98/99. It just sounded better to me in my mind and it even sounds better on paper. But…then one could think that being released in 2000, Max is going to college in the 2000/2001 one school year. That would put his birth at 1982 and that by far would fuck everything up far too much.  
Another theory: In _AEGM_, the sport announcer claims it's the sixth annual college X games. There is no such thing, and only summer and winter X games. For the timeframe/season _AEGM_ appears to be in, I'd say it's sort of like summer games. ESPN's summer X Games celebrated their sixth year in 2000…and the movie is copyrighted that same year. So…did the producers predict the movie would be out in 2000, and relate the summer X Games to their fictional college X Games for how long they were around for? Is it the 99/2000 school year with the summer of 2000 or the 2000/01 school year with the summer of 2000? Please, somebody help me!

This would correspond with Max being 20 when working at the House Of Mouse, which is copyrighted 2001. _BUT_, the show started in January 2001, and that's almost 2000, so being 20 in 2000 would again bring that 1980 theory back up…but I don't want 1980 anyway cause it pushes everything back too far. So, lets say Max is 20 in 2001 – I like that better than being 21 and working there. That's just me. I'd go farther with his age relating to the 2004 video _Mickey Twice Upon A Christmas_, but as you've read you know why that production is null and void pertaining to this fic.

So, in closing to this particular subject…  
Yeah, so that's the stinker. Depending which year you choose, '80 or '81…  
(1980) Either _AGM_ came out in the right year and _AEGM_ came out two years too late. Plus, Max would be older than 11 in the TV series. So the consistent factor here is the first movie.  
(1981) Or _AGM_ came out a year too early and _AEGM_ came out one year to late (depending on what you think). But Max would be at the designated age in the TV series. So the consistent factor here is the TV series.  
Well – lets throw another idea, (1982) would make _AGM_ two years to early but make _AEGM_ come out the right year cause Max would be 18 going into college in 2000. (But if you count the 1999 production 1981 would work). Plus, the factor Max maybe took a year off before going back to school, he _could_ be 19 going 20.  
Plus, another factor that the actual soundtrack for _AEGM_ is copyrighted 1999 could place his birth right back at 1980 again.

**Oh my god, I think I've caused myself a migraine.  
**Note: If you think I chose the right year, or want to debate if it's wrong – please tell me because after racking my brain out for so long over this subject I'd really like to hear some other people's opinions on the matter.

Back to your regularly scheduled commentary…  
_Enough money was left for them to buy their first car, a slightly used 1980 black on caramel Chevrolet Chevette  
_What can I say; I love these cars and wanted to stick one in the fic.

_and his father surprisingly gave him that little red Jeep as a present for their new life._  
One reason why Goofy has the Jeep in the TV series.

_to become co-anchor for the local KBOB Spoonerville Action Flash 6 news team  
_KBOB Spoonerville is the actual name of the TV station, as seen on various items towards the end of the episode "Slightly Dingy" and throughout the episode "Hot Air".

_On a snowy winters night on December 5, 1987 while driving home after a strenuous day at the office, Penny lost control of her car on the I-74 highway  
-_December 5, 1992 is when the last episode of _Goof Troop_ aired, "Clan Of The Cave Goof" while December 5, 1993 was the date the special "A Goof Troop Christmas" aired.  
-It was my own decision that Penny died; the car accident was just a plot to see _how_ she died.  
-1987 seems like an accurate time to put her death at. Why? In 1999 the video _Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas_ features Max as a 6-year-old boy and Goofy was already single. One could say this movie could take place in the 80's as Max was a young boy, but I digress. The last episode airing dates (Dec. 5) worked out perfectly with having her die weeks before Christmas and that's why it's just the two of them in the this video.  
-The I-74 is an actual highway in Ohio.

_successfully completed his advanced beginners course and was awarded in the degree of W,W,D. – Widget Wafler Deluxe_  
This is the actual degree mentioned in the pilot episode. Please, don't even ask me what the hell it is – I could not get an informative hit when I Googled it.

_He was now married to Peg with two kids, 11-year-old P.J. and 5-year-old Pistol._  
Pistol's age isn't very consistent throughout the series. In the episode "Hot Air" she's 4½, and then in the episode "Fool's Gold" she's 6. Plus she also celebrates a birthday in the episode "Three Ring Bind". So I have pegged her age at 5.

_357 West Main Street  
_Pete actually says the house address and name of the street in the episode "Nightmare On Goof Street" in a phone call. 

_He worked as the town's safety inspector, owned his own pizza shop, worked as a janitor for NASA and was even mayor of Spoonerville for a brief period of time.  
_These are all real professions Goofy had in the TV series.

_While going up to a cottage in Aspen, Colorado for Christmas in '93, Goofy's Jeep – the one that is father gave him over a decade ago, was lost in a bizarre accident involving Goofy's obsession for making the perfect Christmas for Max. Sparks flew from the badly wired lights and oversized decorations Goofy had put up and the car caught fire, burning to nothing in mere seconds._  
-They go to Aspen, Colorado in the special "A Goof Troop Christmas" which aired in 1993.  
-The car catching fire happened in this special, and poses a good theory about why Goofy has another car in _AGM_, since this was the last episode of the TV series.

_a bright yellow 1977 AMC Pacer._  
An actual yellow 1977 AMC Pacer D/L "woody" wagon was used as a live-action reference model for _AGM_. For more information, paste the followingurlin your address bar (spaced out due to fanfciton dot net and their weird uploading of links)  
www. amcpacer. com /stories /dairali-famous. html

_1994 Peg and Pete divorced after close to 15 years of marriage._  
-I'll tell you, one thing I hate about _AGM_ is that it cuts off almost everything from the TV series except some of the main "starts" per say. The show itself was very consistent with various things throughout its 79 episodes, and it knocks me off guard why the film doesn't explain what happens to Waffles, Chainsaw, Peg or Pistol or why Goofy and Max aren't living in their old place.  
-The divorce route seemed to be the way to go as really – who would want to be married to Pete anyway? It's set in 1994 because a year later _AGM_ came out with Pete who seems to be a single father. I assumed Pistol went to live with Peg to reside somewhere else.

_It wouldn't be long before money problems would force Goofy to now sell the house he just moved into three years before.  
_My reason why they are living where they are in _AGM_.

_It's hard to be cool when your father is Goofy  
_This is the actual tagline for _AGM_.

_Hayes High School was built over a couple years in the late 80's and opened fall 1990_  
-This is an old widespread fan theory that Hayes is the name of the high school Max and friends attend.  
-Why 1990? No real reason, it's when the high school I went to opened :)

_They got together and collaborated an idea of a photo business, and eventually both of them maintained a small photo studio in a local department store specializing in baby photography_  
Why else are they working together at what seems to be a co-owned business? (You know, it really seems that Pete is a lot friendlier towards Goofy in the movies compared to the TV show where he totally wanted to kill him. Also note the way he's drawn, like he was back in the old Mickey Mouse cartoons.)

_guy by the name of Robert Zimuruski, better known as Bobby, who had a strange obsession over 'Cheddar Whizzy' aerosol cheese._  
-I find that spelling of his last name better than "Zimmeruski" which looks weird when spelt out. I think my spelling has more…background and accurateness too it.  
-Cheddar Whizzy is the actual name of the brand Bobby likes – he mentions it in _AGM_. It's not 'EZ Cheese' as some people have said.

_Soon after, the photo shop between Pete and Goofy dissolved and Pete went to fulfill his own endeavours._  
Well, why else is Goofy working somewhere else in _AEGM_?

_and the insurance decided to move the two to a beautiful yellow house in another part of the neigborhood_  
A reason why they are living in another house yet _again_ in _AEGM_.

_that old 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air that his father had gotten for his 21st birthday  
_One of many reasons why Goofy has the car in _AEGM_. And yes, the car in the movie in all shape and form is the exact replica of a '56 Bel-Air convertible.

_Ultimately, Goofy found a factory job at Beekins Toy Company as a line production worker assembling toys_  
As any true fan knows, this is the name of the factory Goofy works at in _AEGM_.

_It was with great angst and sorrow that they had to put their relationship on hold._  
Like _AGM_ did with the TV series, _AEGM_ is also not very consistent with the story leaving off in the last movie. It mainly focuses on Max, P.J. and Bobby winning the X Games. Me thinks Kevin Lima should have directed to sequel too – because Douglas McCarthy's adaptation of the story, which is good, TOTALLY cuts out Roxanne and Stacey and the Max/Rox relationship is pretty much the main reason I loved _AGM_ because it reminded us of our own high school experiences with the trials of pre-pubescent awkwardness and teen angst. (Also note Roxanne and Stacey _do_ appear a couple times in _AEGM_, but don't say a word and are only background characters. It's hard to spot them, as they only appear once in a while, especially Stacey because their looks were changed so much for the video. Note: To see a good shot of Roxanne, pop in your _AEGM_ DVD and go to the spot where Max and friends are practicing for the X Games competition on the skateboard ramp and Goofy comes over to tell Max his big date news. After Goofy is done skateboarding and people are cheering, I do believe its Roxanne that gets up on the ramp looking to talk to Goofy…but nothing happens and it seems very odd why this happened. She is seen with very light blonde short hair and her clothing is color coordinated to what she wore in _AGM_.) So I was left to create my own reason why they weren't together during the time period in the movie.

_Max was looking forward to the college X Games and taking away the title from the five time winning Gammas.  
_There is no such thing as the college X Games. ESPN only have summer and winter X Games. For the timeframe/season _AEGM_ appears to be in, I'd say it's sort of like summer games.

_Many did not know her by name, but for those who knew her well she went by the name of Bridgett_  
For some reason when I heard the name "beret girl", I thought Bridgett. I think it fits.

_The club opened spring 2001 under the name House Of Mouse, and soon became to town's hottest hang out._  
This relates to the Disney series _House Of Mouse_ where Goofy has a job as a waiter. Technically, the show debuted in January 2001 but I preferred the club opening in a warmer time.

_With the help of Mickey, Goofy did so and Max became the club's parking valet.  
_A theory of how Max obtained the job at the House Of Mouse.

_Max could take advantage of working there as he planned a date out with Roxanne, which was their first in a long time. To reassure Goofy didn't mess anything up, the House Of Mouse staff vowed to keep Goofy pre-occupied as possible.  
_This was an actual _House Of Mouse_ episode – "Max's Embarrassing Date". Note how Roxanne's looks are exact to _AGM_ in this episode. I personally like her oldschool look compared to how she looks in _AEGM_. But it would have been nice if they had updated her wardrobe just a bit for this episode to suit her age. You, of course, can picture her anyway you want.

_Goofy eventually put the Bel-Air into storage and drives a used but reliable '94 Mazda Protégé._  
I myself drive a cool mint condition '94 Mazda Protégé SE, so I put one in the fic.

_Most recently, they proudly gave birth to their first child. A beautiful baby girl, born on April 7th, 2005  
_April 7, 1995 is when _A Goofy Movie_ was released in theatres. I thought it would be a significant date, as it's the 10 year anniversary of us first meeting Roxanne.


	7. The Soundtrack

I thought about this while I was typing up part of the story on March 26. I really love music, and every good motion picture is driven by a score and/or usage of songs. So what the heck…I present to you the original fiction written soundtrack for _The Life & The Of: Before & After_ (A _Goof Troop_/_AGM_/_AEGM_ fanfic).

Each song listed here, I think, relates to the series of events that happened in my story. They are in a somewhat chronological order of the story, and you may have to read the lyrics of some tunes to really _understand_ that tune. Some of the songs are there just to mark that certain decade. It's like background music while you're reading to make the atmosphere more realistic – like you're watching my story as an animated film. This is just a small snippet of the several songs that could apply to this story, and these are only the songs I have heard, as I am sure there are tons of songs out there I haven't heard that would work well with this fic. It started out with about 25 titles, mostly disco. I cut down that number – but then the number ballooned up again because it needed more Max/Rox songs in it. So I've weeded out the best songs for this fic and hopefully did a good job. If you have any questions of the titles listed here, or would like to recommend any songs, please mail me. Moreover, if you would like to hear any of these tunes, some of which are rare to come by on the net, e-mail me and I'll send you the mp3.

1) The Byrds – Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965)  
**One of the main themes of my story is that time never stops and things will always and forever keep changing in the course of our lives.**

2) Stevie Wonder – You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (1973)  
3) Spinners – Could It Be I'm Falling In Love (1972)  
4) Love Unlimited Orchestra – Love's Theme (1974)  
5) Ralph Carter – When You're Young And In Love (1975)  
**These songs represent the growing love between Goofy and Penny.**

6) Peaches & Herb – Shake Your Groove Thing (1978)  
7) Chic – Le Freak (1978)  
8) Sister Sledge – He's The Greatest Dancer (1979)  
**These are just great disco hits to boogie down too. The Sister Sledge tune could also represent Goofy's great ability to dance.**

9) Diana Ross & Lionel Richie – My Endless Love (1980)  
**Not only a great song for Goofy and Penny's wedding, but this was the #1 song on the Billboard charts when Max was born in September 1981.**

10) Grover Washington Jr. – Just The Two Of Us (1980)  
**A good song that characterizes the early years of Penny & Goofy's relationship. Furthermore, the 1997 re-make of this song by Will Smith genuinely exemplifies the loving feelings Goofy has towards Max.**

11) Whitney Houston – Didn't We Almost Have It All (1987)  
**It was really hard for me to find an angsty song for Penny's death that was set in the 80's. At first I wanted to use the #1 smash "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, but that song was eight years ahead of its time when she died…plus the lyrics of that song really didn't click with some areas of this fic. The closest I could think for a good "Goofy reminiscing about Penny" tune was this Whitney Houston song.**

12) Tevin Campbell – Can We Talk (Max's Theme) (1993)  
**Not only his biggest hit, but a great song that suits the Max/Rox relationship well. Ashame it couldn't be included on the _AGM_ soundtrack though, the movie needed a slow jam to perfect it.**

13) Leo Sayer – You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (1976)  
14) Maxine Nightingale – Right Back Where We Started From (1976)  
15) Shalamar – The Second Time Around (1979)  
16) Emotions – Best Of My Love (1977)  
**These songs represent the growing love between Goofy and Sylvia. As you can see, they are very disco oriented.**

17) Timbuk 3 – Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades (1986)  
18) David Naughton – Makin' It (1978)  
**These are good songs of motivation and encouragement that can relate to Goofy, Max, and many others in my fic.**

19) Brian McKnight – Anytime (1997)  
20) Amerie – Why Don't We Fall In Love? (2002)  
21) Bon Jovi – All About Loving You (2002)  
**Good "full of longing" songs that relate to the feelings of Max and Roxanne when they were separated in college.**

22) Cher & Peter Cetra – After All (1989)  
23) Shania Twain & Bryan White – From This Moment On (1997)  
24) Savage Garden – Truly Madly Deeply (1997)  
**Excellent songs for the Goofy/Sylvia Max/Roxanne dual wedding ceremony.**

25) Paula Abdul – Promise Of A New Day (1991)  
**I was thinking of a real good "camera zooms out, fade to black" ending credits song. It's a good choice, but any song off this list could be used as an ending credit jingle. So pick what ya want!**

Note: I ordered and purchased a copy of _AEGM_ soundtrack as it was still in print, so if anyone wants mp3's from that soundtrack – please drop me a line and I'll mail them to you post haste. I am still however looking for a nice copy of _AGM_ soundtrack for myself. Wish me luck!

Note: Just throwing this in – if you live in Canada and was a big fan of the kids channel YTV back in its hey day, you'll remember a show called _The Hit List_ hosted by Tarzan Dan. The show produced two CD compilations that are now long out of print, but feature some rare Canadian/International songs on them. I didn't want to put every song I thought would apply for this fic on the soundtrack list, cause then I would have like 40 titles and then all of them may not mean as much compared to when you have fewer titles that you can really focus on. I didn't put this one in, as its sort of too old to when the timeframe of when Max and Roxanne split up. Anyway, there is this 1994 song by the Alberta band The Earthtones featured on the _Hit List Volume 2_ CD called "Move This Night", and I feel it's a really good song about what Max feels for Roxanne when they are separated. Moreover, the lead singers vocals actually sound like an older Max singing! You'd have to really know where I am coming from here, so if you want a rare mp3 of this tune, I'll mail it to you.


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